5 players who will cost more than Philippe Coutinho's £142m transfer fee

This is the world of inflated transfer fees that are extrapolated to state the current affairs of the game. No longer does a transfer fee make someone go bonkers-- not after what Paris-Saint Germain paid for Neymar.

Indeed, these things have become highly normalized. High prices are now a common thing. As a result, no-one batted an eye when Coutinho was bought for £142 million by F.C. Barcelona— simply because that’s just how the transfer market has become in the last few months.

And we all know that this is just scratching the surface. More players will be bought and sold. More transactions will happen. And more records will be broken. As of now, here are the 5 players that will cost more than Philippe Coutinho should they move clubs in the summer.

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#5 Mohamed Salah

It is only logical to name Mohamed Salah. After all, he is a consistent performer for Liverpool and will almost certainly not be allowed to move should any club come calling. And it is only fair; Liverpool can’t afford to lose another star.

It will only just consolidate their place as a club with no ambition.

This is the Liverpool perspective. From the player’s side, if a club like Real Madrid come calling, he will want to move. And given that Salah is currently second in the Golden Boot race of the Premier League, he is going to cost a fortune.

Considering the player’s quality and the position of Liverpool after selling Coutinho for a winter record fee, it only points towards the direction of something over £142 million.

#4 Eden Hazard

Hazard is a supreme talent

When Real Madrid are always linked to one specific player, there is a chance that the move could happen eventually. Eden Hazard is one of the most consistent performers in the league ever since he joined Chelsea.

However, there is a feeling coasting around in the air that he might not have unleashed his absolute best as of yet—and a move to someplace else might just do it for him. His transition from a talented youngster at Lille to a world-beater in Chelsea has been as smooth as it could be.

Perhaps it was just too smooth.

Hazard can easily be a player in the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo bracket, but he has been at Chelsea for so long that it has become a comfort zone. And he knows it and that is perhaps why he has rejected two new contracts in order to force a move to some other club.

But rest assured, Chelsea are not a financially weak club and Hazard is a world class player—so you do the math.

#3 Neymar

Neymar is priceless

What? Didn’t he only just break the shackles to move to Paris-Saint Germain for a world record £198 million? Yes, he did, but for many, it was just a ploy to move to the club at his heart: Real Madrid.

It is sort of like an open secret that Neymar supported Real Madrid as a child. In fact, there is an actual video depicting a young Neymar stating his love for the Blancos. But his fate took him to Barcelona and moving directly to Real Madrid is something that incurs a lot of wrath from the Cules.

As a result, he might have moved to PSG as a means to finally fulfil the dream he had seen as a child. The Brazilian became the most expensive player in the world in the last summer window and PSG will definitely not let him leave for anything less than what they spent for him.

#2 Harry Kane

Harry Kane is on Madrid's radar

Okay, let’s take a deep breath here and evaluate this. Harry Kane is currently the leading goalscorer in the Premier League with 18 goals. In 2017, he scored 56 goals to end up with the most strikes among all players in Europe—toppling Lionel Messi and finally breaking the duopoly of Cristiano Ronaldo and the Argentine in that regard.

Kane is only 24 and the Englishman plays for Tottenham Hotspur—a club that hasn’t won anything in ages.

Also, the most important fact: Real Madrid want him—and when the Galacticos want a certain player, they almost always get their man. In the case of Spurs, it is more of tradition than anything else. In fact, the last two best players of Spurs are now at Madrid.

And now, Kane is on the radar. Knowing this transfer market and Daniel Levy’s stinginess when it comes to letting go of his players, Kane might become the first £200 million player in the world.

#1 Kevin De Bruyne

De Bruyne is one of the most consistent players in the world

So if Kane is number 2, who could possibly be number 1? Kevin De Bruyne, of course. When it comes to ability, De Bruyne is perhaps the most gifted player in the league. He makes playmaking look so easy and it is an amazing sight to behold.

The Belgian rarely has a bad game and is always one of Manchester City’s best players. The only thing that works against him is the fact that he is not really wanted by any clubs at this point in time.

However, should the need arise, he will command a lot of money and there is also chance that Manchester City could be forced to sell if the offer is extremely high—after all, they have some books to balance.

And if he is indeed sold, it would be for a price that could compete with Neymar’s, let alone Coutinho’s.