Barcelona Says Talk of Cutting Short Philippe Coutinho Bayern Loan Is 'Made Up'

Barcelona have dismissed speculation they could recall Philippe Coutinho from Bayern Munich before the end of the season. 

The Brazilian is on a season-long loan at the Allianz Arena, and Bayern have the option to make his stay permanent for £102 million.

Per Goal's Chris Burton, a Barcelona spokesperson said: "As agreed, the player stays in Munich for at least the rest of the season. Everything else is made up."

Catalunya Radio Barcelona (h/t MailOnline's Ben Nagle) reported the club could lower the price of the option to buy to convince Bayern to sign him, so that they might fund a replacement for the injured Luis Suarez before the January transfer window closes.

Suarez underwent knee surgery earlier in January, and the club expect him to be out for around four months.

Barca signed Coutinho from Liverpool in January 2018 for an initial £105 million. He made 76 appearances for the Catalan giants, scoring 21 goals and providing 11 assists, but he failed to replicate the impact he had at Anfield.

He has rediscovered his form at Bayern, where he has contributed seven goals and eight assists in 24 games.

Coutinho's best performance came in Bayern's 6-1 win over Werder Bremen in December, in which he netted a hat-trick and set up Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller:

Football journalist Chris Williams said he has "impressed many, many times" in Germany, even in games in which he has not scored or assisted, such as Bayern's 4-0 win over Hertha Berlin on January 19.

Barca would likely welcome the chance to let him go if they can recoup roughly what they paid for him, but with Quique Setien now in the dugout instead of Ernesto Valverde, he may yet have a future at the Camp Nou when he returns at the end of the season.

In the meantime, a replacement for Suarez would be a useful acquisition, as the striker racked up 14 goals and 11 assists before his surgery.