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What’s the story?
According to a report from Spanish media outlet Marca, Barcelona are done with superstar Philippe Coutinho and the board are currently looking for potential suitors.
The Brazilian midfielder failed to impress throughout the season and the Champions League shock exit after 4-0 loss against Liverpool is the final nail in the coffin for Coutinho.
In case you didn’t know…
Coutinho became Barcelona's record signing when he arrived from Liverpool in January last year. In almost six years at Anfield, the Brazilian scored 54 goals in over 200 appearances for the Reds. Despite being a pivotal player for Liverpool, Coutinho is yet to earn the trust of Nou Camp faithful after one and half seasons with the club.
Since moving to Barcelona, the 26-year-old started strongly and impressed in the final half of 2017/18 season. But things have not gone according to plan for Blaugrana star who is finding it difficult to settle with the squad.
Although he scored against Lyon and Manchester United in the knockout stages of Champions League, Coutinho has racked up just 5 goals and 2 assists in the league. The Brazilian star was booed and whistled by Nou Camp crowd recently and he was one of the worst players on the pitch in the return leg against Liverpool.
Liverpool shattered the Spanish giants' hopes of securing a Champions League title as they inflicted a humiliating 4-0 defeat at Anfield.
The heart of the matter
The midfielder has the support of Lionel Messi but his poor performance left the board and the fans doubting his impact. Moreover, the Champions League failure confirmed that Philippe Coutinho has flopped at Barcelona.
According to the report, Barcelona are already looking for suitors as they are desperate to sell their star man. The Blaugrana hierarchy will use the money they get from the transfer of Coutinho on reinforcements as they plan to revamp the squad after Champions League failure.
What's next?
Barcelona will next face Getafe in LaLiga and they will surely hope to end the season on a better note by beating Valencia in the Copa Del Rey finals.
