Barcelona Transfer News: Latest on Philippe Coutinho and Nolito Rumours
Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho has spoken out on the rumours linking him with a switch to Barcelona and has seemingly pledged his future to the Anfield outfit.
The Brazilian’s name has been doing the rounds in the Camp Nou rumour mill of late, and after striker Neymar said his compatriot was a perfect fit for Barca—via BBC Sport—the Liverpool man felt the need to speak out, per Steve Millar of the Daily Star:
"I heard what Neymar said on the internet but I want to do well with Liverpool. I am happy here and I hope this season will go well for us.
Of course it is a nice thing he said. Everyone knows he's my friend. But I'm here and focused on Liverpool to help them do good things on the pitch. I am totally focused on Liverpool.
"
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Things are a little rocky over in Merseyside, though, and it may not take an awful lot to tempt Coutinho into moving on.
Wins have been very difficult to come by at the start of the 2015/16 Premier League season, which means a swift return to the Champions League next term is looking less likely by the game.
Plus, Brendan Rodgers’ sacking as Liverpool manager following their 1-1 draw at Everton on Sunday suggests not all is well behind the scenes—and Barca could well exploit that.
Neymar’s exactly right, too—Coutinho is a player worth chasing for the Catalan giants.
His intelligent, direct style of play has been the stuff of nightmares for Premier League defences in recent seasons, while his final touch in front of goal has proven nothing short of lethal.
There have been many occasions where Coutinho has been one step ahead of his Anfield teammates, too—slotting balls through to players who haven’t been on the same clever wavelength to make a run. It’s fairly safe to say that wouldn’t be an issue at the Camp Nou.
Still, it’ll cost Barcelona a pretty penny to convince Liverpool to let their prize asset go, while the lack of guaranteed first-team football with the Spanish champions wouldn’t exactly appeal.
Plus, it seems that despite the speculation, Luis Enrique isn’t looking to bring Coutinho to the Camp Nou, as journalist Guillem Balague revealed, via Sky Sports La Liga:
Either way, the impact Lionel Messi’s injury has had on Barca’s attacking line could force Enrique into going after reinforcements, and Coutinho wouldn’t be a bad place to start.
No Go for Nolito
Elsewhere, reports have emerged that Barcelona are not in the race to sign Celta Vigo forward Nolito for a rather strange reason—per Sport, via Aaron Flanagan of Daily Mirror.
Flanagan writes that Nolito, who spent four years with Barcelona and made a handful of first-team appearances, has been deemed too old for Enrique—at the age of 28.
The Spaniard has made an explosive start to the season, scoring five goals and creating three more, per WhoScored.com, helping surprise package Celta kick off 2015/16 in style.
His impressive statistics go further than that, too, as OptaJose revealed Nolito has created more chances than anyone in the Spanish top flight so far:
Despite his excellent form, his age will likely stop him from making a return to the Camp Nou, and Barcelona’s loss could well be Arsenal’s gain.
The report states that Gunners boss Arsene Wenger doesn’t find Nolito’s 28 years an issue and could go in for the striker in January.
January also represents the end of Barcelona’s transfer ban, and it would be far from a surprise to see them enjoy something of a spree—not that they haven’t been splashing the cash over the last few years anyway.
They may well need to as well. La Liga is looking more open than ever this term, but a few choice additions could well give Barcelona back their dynamic edge.
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