Manchester City are reportedly weighing up the possibility of snapping up Barcelona misfit Philippe Coutinho in a €30 million deal.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Philippe Coutinho has popped up on the radar of Manchester City over a move in the January transfer window. The Premier League champions are considering an offer worth €30 million for the Barcelona misfit.
Philippe Coutinho joined Barcelona from Liverpool in January 2018, completing what was a dream move for him. However, the dream has since turned into a nightmare for the 29-year-old, who has just not managed to make a sustained impact for the Blaugrana, slowly losing his spot in the 2018/19 season before being sent out on loan to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2019.
Since returning from a decent enough stint with the Bundesliga champions, the struggles have continued for the Brazilian international, albeit on the fitness front, with a long-term knee injury forcing him to miss a bulk of the 2020/21 season. Now fit again, Coutinho has turned out six times for Barcelona this season, but has failed to impress again.
With that in mind, the player is starting to enter the category of being surplus to requirements for the Catalan giants. However, despite the drop in stature, the interest in the Barcelona misfit just continues to grow, with Manchester City joining the race to sign him now.
The interest from Manchester City is quite surprising, as signing a striker ought to be their priority heading into the January transfer window after failing to sign Harry Kane. While Erling Haaland does appear to have become a key target, the widespread interest in his services means City should be keeping their options open.
Having said that, the eagerness to sign Coutinho could be stemming from the fact that Bernardo Silva continues to face an uncertain future at the Etihad, with Juventus recently emerging in his pursuit. If Silva does end up leaving, the Barcelona playmaker could be an option worth exploring, especially with Pep Guardiola still rating him highly.
To that end, Manchester City are readying an offer worth €30 million to sign Coutinho this winter, with Barcelona likely to be open to accepting such a bid. However, the Citizens will have Newcastle United as competition, with the Magpies also keen on signing Coutinho. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if the 29-year-old leaves Barcelona in January to return to the Premier League.