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Liverpool can sign world-class playmaker for £0m; Jurgen Klopp said he’s ‘brilliant’

BARCELONA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 13: Philippe Coutinho of FC Barcelona looks on during the La Liga Santander match between FC Barcelona and Levante UD at Camp Nou on December 13, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain.

Liverpool have reportedly been offered the chance to re-sign Philippe Coutinho for free in order to wipe the debt that Barcelona owe the Reds after signing him in 2018.

If you believe in karma, the financial peril that the La Liga giants find themselves in is a perfect example of ‘what comes around, goes around.’

Liverpool fans felt hard done by in 2018 when Coutinho moved to Camp Nou for a £105m fee that could rise to £142m with add-ons but Barcelona are now reportedly offering him back to the Reds in exchange for their debt to be wiped.

The BBC reported at the time that he would have a €400m (£355m) release clause in his contract but it seems as though the Catalonians will be lucky to get £30m for a player whose stock has plummeted.

SINSHEIM, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 29: Philippe Coutinho of Bayern Munich celebrates after scoring his sides fifth goal during the Bundesliga match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and FC Bayern Muenchen at PreZero-Arena on February 29, 2020 in Sinsheim, Germany.

SINSHEIM, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 29: Philippe Coutinho of Bayern Munich celebrates after scoring his sides fifth goal during the Bundesliga match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and FC Bayern Muenchen at PreZero-Arena on February 29, 2020 in Sinsheim, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Bongarts/Getty Images)

According to Spanish news outlet AS, Coutinho is on a list of ‘leaked casualties’ that could fall victim to Joan Laporta’s Barca ‘revolution’ which aims to overhaul the club, erase its debt and return them to the top of the European football pyramid.

‘Coutinho, to Liverpool’.

AS reports that the Brazilian, who has been out injured with a tear to outer meniscus, has been offered back to Liverpool in order to erase the €50m+ that is still owed to the Anfield outfit.

It’s hugely unlikely that the Reds would accept the offer but my soft spot for the former Inter Milan star hopes that it happens. When he was at the club, Coutinho was the player I most looked forward to watching.

From his silky dribbling to his unreal long-range shooting, he was the perfect attacking midfielder and under Jurgen Klopp, he was growing into a world-class no.10 before Barcelona stole him for an absurd amount of money.

Coutinho: Then and now

After he scored the winner against Chelsea in 2017, Klopp said:  “Phil is a brilliant player and we don’t have to talk about his qualities.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 31: Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool scores his team's second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on October 31, 2015 in London, England.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 31: Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool scores his team’s second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on October 31, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

In hindsight, Liverpool pulled of a blinder by getting the fee that they did because that enabled them to go and sign Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Alisson Becker, who formed the spine that won the Champions League and the Premier League.

If you had told supporters in January 2018 that selling Coutinho would guarantee the club would go on to win the two biggest trophies out there, most would have bit your hand off even if it meant losing a player as entertaining as the 28-year-old.

Fast forward to 2021 and Coutinho would make a fantastic squad option but his injury history is a red flag.

Even at Liverpool, he suffered from niggling injuries that would make it seem as though he was inconsistent.

Barcelona’s Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho reacts after falling during the Spanish League football match between Barcelona and Eibar at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on December 29, 2020. PHOTO BY PAU BARRENA / AFP.

As a squad option on affordable wages, he could be a fantastic player to have to switch things up or to bring on to inspire the Reds to a win with a shot from range or a pass to open up a low block.

In my humble opinion, I can’t see Liverpool going for a deal like this as it would mean giving up on over €50m in expected revenue for a player that is no longer worth that much.