Barcelona ‘want to sell Philippe Coutinho in January’ in bid to ease financial worries by shifting injury-hit ex-Liverpool midfielder off wage bill
- Barcelona players will reportedly receive £112m less this term as part of deferrals
- Philippe Coutinho is one of their top earners and his exit would ease the burden
- The midfielder had a promising start to the season but has had injury problems
- Coutinho joined Barca from Liverpool in 2018 for a fee that could rise to £142m
Barcelona are ready to sell record signing Philippe Coutinho in January as part of a bid to ease the La Liga giants’ financial worries, according to reports in Spain.
Coutinho, who signed from Liverpool in 2018 for a fee that could rise to £142million, was said to have agreed to temporarily halve his wage of more than £200,000 a week last season.
Barca remain under financial pressure despite deferrals and are aiming to shift high earner Coutinho by January 24, Sport has reported.
Philippe Coutinho made a promising start to the season but has been struck by injuries again
Barcelona’s record signing could be shaping up to leave the club as part of cost-cutting efforts
The president of the club’s managing committee, Carles Tusquets, is believed to have targeted a player sale as part of ongoing cost-cutting.
Brazil playmaker Coutinho had a promising start to the season on his return from a loan spell with Bayern, starting the first three matches of the campaign in a No.10 role.
The 28-year-old scored against Sevilla after setting up a goal in each of Barca’s opening two Liga games, but the 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid is the only one of the club’s 12 league games in which he has completed 90 minutes so far.
Coutinho also scored against Ferencvaros in an opening 5-1 stroll in the Champions League, only to be sidelined by a hamstring injury on his way to appearing in only two of Barcelona’s four European matches.
The Brazil midfielder lifted the Champions League while on loan at Bayern Munich last season
New boss Ronaldo Koeman is thought to have wanted Coutinho to be central to his plans during his first season in charge, although his hand could now be forced by Barcelona’s financial predicament and the player’s injury issues.
Coutinho appeared in all of Bayern’s Champions League matches on their way to the title last season, scoring twice and providing an assist in a cruel cameo as the champions humiliated his parent club 8-2 in the quarter-finals.
He missed eight league matches with an ankle injury but was still directly involved in 14 goals as Bayern also won the Bundesliga.
Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Pedri have all been deployed in a central role since Coutinho was moved to the left wing by Koeman early in the campaign.
