Report: Brazilian star set to stay at Barcelona next season

With Barcelona ramping up their transfer activity this summer, several players are expected to make their way out of Camp Nou before the 2021/22 season kicks off.

One such player, who has widely been tipped to leave the Blaugrana this summer, is Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian playmaker arrived at Barcelona in January 2018 for a club-record transfer fee from Liverpool but has endured a torrid time with the club.

Barring the first six months on his arrival, Coutinho has largely struggled to nail down a spot in the side at Barcelona and was even loaned out for the entire 2019/20 season to Bayern Munich. Having done fairly well during his time at the Allianz Arena, the ex-Liverpool ace did get some chances under Ronald Koeman but had once again lost his place when an injury in December ended his season.

Currently recuperating in Brazil, the 29-year-old is expected to be fit for the pre-season camp, although his future at the Catalan club remains uncertain. However, a report from L’Esportiu is now claiming that Coutinho may very well end up staying in Barcelona beyond the summer.

“Se queda?”

While Barcelona remain keen on selling, there are no interesting offers on the table for Coutinho, despite there being some degree of interest from clubs in England. The Brazilian midfielder’s price tag and wages also complicate matters, with the Blaugrana now slowly accepting that they may have to keep hold of him for another year.

“We don’t have too many midfielders. For now, he stays and we hope he shows his level,” is said to be the line of thinking at Barcelona currently, while the report also mentions that Coutinho is a player that Koeman likes.

Since joining Barcelona, Coutinho has played 90 games, managing a tally of 23 goals and 14 assists. After his injury last year, many believed that they had seen in the last of him with the Catalans. However, as things stand, there is a good chance that he does end up staying. As Gerard Pique once said about a different Brazilian player at Barcelona, “Se queda”.