Report: PSG Eyed Philippe Coutinho, Luis Suarez to Replace Neymar, Kylian Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain reportedly considered Barcelona stars Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez as potential replacements for Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in the summer if Real Madrid made a move to sign them.

According to Mundo Deportivo's Roger Torello (h/t Jack Otway of the Express), PSG feared Real would make a move for one of their stars after the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo and targeted the Barcelona duo as a result.

It's said the Parisian club pressured Barca and were prepared to spend a world-record fee on Coutinho, but Real made no such move.

Coutinho only joined Barcelona from Liverpool in January in a £142 million move. Since then, he has scored 13 goals and assisted nine in 33 appearances.

Suarez made the same move in 2014, and his astonishing record for the Catalan giants stands at 155 goals and 86 assists in 209 games.

The Guardian's Sid Lowe singled out the pair as key contributors during Barca's 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao in September:

Though he's not from the same mould as Andres Iniesta, Coutinho takes some of the playmaking responsibility off Lionel Messi's shoulders, like the Spaniard did, thanks to his impressive creativity.

He also chips in with some important goals:

Meanwhile, Suarez is prolific in the final third, behind only Messi in goals scored for Barcelona's current squad.

Though the 31-year-old's performances over the last year have not always met his high standards, he has plenty more to offer the side, as Lowe and Squawka's Muhammad Butt noted after Barca's 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League earlier this month:

Replacing players of Neymar's or Mbappe's quality would be exceptionally difficult, though in Suarez and Coutinho, PSG identified two strong candidates.

The Parisians may need to look elsewhere if Real do come in for one or both of their stars, however, as Barcelona would likely fight tooth and nail to keep their own key players at the Camp Nou.