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What's the story?
According to the Spanish media outlet, Marca, FC Barcelona are no longer ruling out offers for Philippe Coutinho as they are growing frustrated with the Brazilian midfielder.
In case you didn't know..
Coutinho arrived at FC Barcelona with huge expectations. The Brazilian midfielder became the most expensive signing for Barcelona in their rich history when he arrived at Camp Nou in January last year.
Despite making an immediate impact with the club, Coutinho has endured tough times lately. The Brazilian midfielder has eight goals and five assists to his name in all competitions this season, but he is yet to fully integrate into the Barcelona side this term. As evident, he is below in the pecking order of the Barcelona squad.
The heart of the matter
Coutinho's underwhelming performances against Valencia and Real Madrid makes his case worse.
While Ousmane Dembele's injury was a perfect opportunity for Barcelona's all-time expensive signing to showcase his caliber, the midfielder failed to capitalize on the opportunity and leave his mark.
According to the report, patience is wearing thin for the Catalan club hierarchy and FC Barcelona is open to considering offers amidst reports linking the Brazilian with Chelsea. Moreover, Barcelona splashed the cash on Ajax Prodigy, Frenkie De Jong, and they will be looking to make some profit by offloading a starlet.
The official word from Barcelona remains that Coutinho will not be sold, with the club president saying last week that they are not planning to cash in on the underperforming midfielder.
Rumour rating: 4/10
With the arrival of Frenkie De Jong in the summer, the competition will only increase for Philippe Coutinho, and he might choose to look for other options.
What's next?
Ernesto Valverde's men are fighting for the La Liga title, sitting 6 points clear on top. They will face tough away test when they face Athletic Bilbao away before turning their focus on the Champions League.
With the latter stages and crucial matches of the season approaching, a player of Coutinho's calibre will be extremely important for them.
