Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane seems to have his eyes set on Liverpool football club’s Brazilian sensation Philippe Coutinho according to Spanish news outlet Diario Gol. The former Real Madrid player turned manager reportedly is “in love with” Coutinho and feels that he is a perfect fit for the Spanish giants.
But to land the in-form midfielder, Real Madrid might have to shell out a whopping £67 million. But any kind of transfer activity from Real Madrid looks bleak given that the club was hit with a transfer ban for the next two transfer windows and have been forbidden from signing any new players until the year 2018.
It’s not just Real Madrid who are keen on landing the Reds’ superstar but also arch rivals FC Barcelona who are reportedly interested in signing the Brazilian as a replacement for ageing midfielder Andres Iniesta. And to make matters worse, even Coutinho seems to favour a move to Camp Nou rather than the Santiago Bernabeu suggest Sport.
Apart from the two Spanish clubs, there is also a third contender for the Brazilian in the form of Paris Saint-Germain who are also looking to sign the little magician as a replacement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic who moved to Manchester United in the summer transfer window.
Philippe Coutinho has been in outstanding form in the English Premier League having already produced six goals and six assists in just eleven Premier League games. During Sunday’s game between Liverpool and Watford, Coutinho once again showed his class scoring an outstanding goal and providing an assist to help his club win 6-1 at Anfield. Even Liverpool’s former centre-back and club legend Jamie Carragher was in awe of the little maestro and questioned if there was any better player in England right now than Philippe Coutinho.
Since his arrival from Inter Milan for a mere £8 million pounds back in January 2013, Coutinho quickly became a fan favourite after his displays with the ball at his feet and has consistently performed for the Reds. Coutinho was one of the key players for Liverpool FC in their 2013 title challenge under former manager Brendan Rodgers.
Also read: Liverpool Transfer Rumour: Jurgen Klopp keen to sign Dortmund's Christian Pulisic in January
Coutinho was recently offered a new contract by Liverpool to keep European giants at bay. Since his arrival from Inter Milan, Coutinho has scored 26 goals in 118 appearances for Liverpool.
(Video courtesy: Mathews Football YouTube channel)
