What’s the story?
Philippe Coutinho has expressed his delight after committing his future at Liverpool and claims he has no interest in leaving Anfield for a move to Spain or China. Barcelona have long been tracking him and wanted to add the playmaker to their squad after the end of the season. However, the Reds’ star ended the speculation surrounding his future to bed by signing a new long-term contract at Liverpool.
“China, no. I am not interested. I don't think about that, not for one moment. My football is here. My heart is here. I don't think about any other club. Not at all,” Coutinho told the Daily Mail.
“I believe in finding somewhere you can express yourself, play without fear, play with everything you have. When you find that place, stay. This club, Liverpool, it has a plan. To be back on the top and that's what I believe in. I want to be part of that.
“From the owner, the manager, my team-mates. There is nothing that stops us competing with the big clubs. Clubs in England. Clubs in Europe. Yes, clubs like Barcelona. Why not?”
In case you didn’t know...
Coutinho was born in Rio de Janeiro and was the youngest of the three siblings. During his early days, he used to play Futsal with his two elder brothers on a local concrete pitch. He was advised by a friend’s grandmother to join the local football academy and that is when he caught the attention of Vasco da Gama’s coaches.
After a successful trial, he joined the Brazilian club’s youth system and that is where his journey as a professional footballer began. His services were secured by Inter Milan and Coutinho struggled to impress, which allowed Liverpool to sign him for a reported fee of £8.5 million in January 2013.
The heart of the matter
Coutinho became the main man at Anfield following the exits of Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge’s struggle with injuries. His form. in fact. saw him become a regular for the Brazil national side and this attracted interest from Barcelona.
However, the South American playmaker is not willing to leave Liverpool and join the La Liga giants as his heart is set to continue at the Merseyside club. Coutinho has also ruled out a lucrative move to China by claiming that he does not think about any other club apart from Liverpool.
What next?
Klopp’s side needs to be challenging for the title and win silverware if Liverpool maintain any hope of keeping Coutinho at the club. The Reds’ failure to achieve success on the pitch could see them struggle to retain their star player.
Sportskeeda’s take
Had Coutinho joined Barcelona, he would have struggled to break into the starting lineup as the Catalan club’s attack boast the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.
