Former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho has reportedly attracted the attention of Everton.
Our Merseyside rivals have been credited with interest in the Brazilian by “Tz” – as cited by Spanish outlet MARCA.
They claim Everton are prepared to bid €40 million for Coutinho, but initial indications suggest a heftier fee will be required, despite Barcelona’s financial woes.
The Blues have a good relationship with the Catalan side, with former players Andre Gomes, Lucas Digne and Yerry Mina now plying their trade at Goodison Park.
But a move to Everton for Coutinho seems unlikely, based on his history with bitter rivals Liverpool.
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Our Take
We didn’t realise silly season was allowed to start while the current campaign is ongoing!
Coutinho has struggled at Barcelona and while moving to a club the size of Everton may be a wise next step for the 28-year-old, there’s next-to-no chance he’d willingly destroy his favourable reputation at Anfield.
While Phil may have left Liverpool in suspect fashion, with his “back injury” keeping him side-lined, he’s only ever spoken warmly about his former side.
A portion of the Reds’ fan-base has called for Coutinho’s return since his loan move to Bayern Munich was sanctioned, but the reigning Premier League champions have no interest in the midfielder.