Spanish outlet SPORT have explained their current thoughts on the Coutinho situation, with the Premier League transfer window set to close at 5pm BST.
They suggest that Barcelona want to offload Phil and that developments could happen in the coming hours, with Tottenham still favourites for his signature, despite the Brazilian rejecting the idea of a temporary move there yesterday [Sky Sports].
Interestingly, they also claim that the 27-year-old would ideally prefer a return to Liverpool, but understands a transfer is ‘complicated’ due to the current strength of Jurgen Klopp’s attack.
We’d suggest Liverpool’s refusal to loan Coutinho has less to do with our offensive options and more to do with the finances involved in a potential deal and the manner in which the playmaker left us in January 2018…
Barca paid a gargantuan fee for Coutinho, and we went on to win the Champions League without him – so spending money on bringing our former no.10 back would negate some of the cash we earned for his sale and potentially undermine the players who’ve consistently showed they want to be part of Liverpool’s journey without having their heads turned.