Coutinho to stay says Koeman
Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has revealed that he “counts” Philippe Coutinho to step up and play a big role this season after Lionel Messi moved to Paris Saint-Germain.
Coutinho has never really settled at Camp Nou since his blockbuster moved from Liverpool in January 2018. He has been on the fringes of the squad since then and even spent the 2019/20 season at Bayern Munich.
The Brazilian national team player has not yet been assigned a squad number by Barcelona for the 2021/22 campaign and has consistently been linked to a departure from this transfer window, but Koeman insists he still has a role to play in the club.
“Philippe needs another week of training before joining the squad. For me he is a fantastic player and he can be important for Barça. I definitely count on him for this season,” Koeman said, according to ESPN.
Milan is a club that has an interest in Coutinho, although a move to the San Siro has not yet been completed. Arsenal were also strongly linked as part of an exchange deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the past week, but the Gunners completed the signing of attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard on Friday and therefore a deal for Coutinho looks unlikely.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta is expected to ask Coutinho to take down a pay cut in light of the club’s financial problems – the Brazilian is now the club’s second highest earner after Messi’s departure, only Antoine Griezmann earns more.
While Coutinho will stay in Barcelona, it looks like 18-year-old Ilaix Moriba can leave after not agreeing on terms for a new contract. RB Leipzig had turned down an offer of 8 million euros for the midfielder in recent days, and Barça held out for a fee close to 25 million euros.
90min recently reported that the Bundesliga team was just one of several clubs interested in Moriba, which also has plenty of potential suitors in England.