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Barcelona may be willing to offload Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho in January, according to a report by Calciomercato.
Coutinho, 28, has re-acclimatized well to life at Nou Camp this season, having been loaned out to Bayern Munich in the 2019-20 campaign.
He has contributed 2 goals and 2 assists in 6 appearances under Ronald Koeman. However, the report states that the emergence of youngster Pedri could mean that Coutinho's long-term future lies away from the club.
Pedri, 17, has been one of Barcelona's youth prospects who manager Ronald Koeman seems keen to integrate into the first team setup.
The player shone in their recent 2-0 Champions League group stage win over Juventus, and has provided ample evidence that he is ready to handle a full-fledged first team role.
Coutinho, the report claims, is unsure of his future at the club in the face of Pedri's progress and could even leave the club in January as a result.
While Barcelona shelled out €160 million for Coutinho's services, he could be set to leave for as little as €50 to 60 million due to the pandemic.
AC Milan interested in Philippe Coutinho's services
One of the clubs monitoring Coutinho's situation at Barcelona is AC Milan. The Italian giants have made a rollicking start to the Serie A season, winning 4 out of their 5 games and topping the league with 13 points.
Their record in the Europa League has also been perfect so far, winning both their group stage games and leading their group with six points.
Should they continue with their resurgence and stay on course for Champions League qualification next season, the report claims that a potential January move for Coutinho could be possible.
The collective form of attacking duo of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Rafael Leao has been pivotal for Milan's success this season. The legendary Swede has seven goals and one assist in six games, while the 21-year-old Brazilian has three goals and three assists in seven matches.
The addition of Philippe Coutinho would only serve to further strengthen the attacking thrust of the team and help propel them towards an elusive Scudetto.
