The sale of €160 million flop is key for Barcelona’s transfer aspirations

When Barcelona splashed out a club-record transfer fee to sign Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool nearly four years ago in January 2018, great things were expected of the Brazilian. After all, he had, at the time, established himself as one of the premier playmakers in European football.

But, safe to say that his spell in Catalonia has been nothing short of a disaster. After a struggle-filled 18-month period, Coutinho was shipped out on loan to Bayern Munich for the 2019/20 season, where he showed some signs of resurgence, but it would prove to be a false dawn.

Coutinho has spent the good part of this year out on the treatment tables due to the injury he picked up in late 2020. Back fit, the ex-Inter Milan ace has hardly been used this season. Even when called upon, the 29-year-old has hardly made any sort of impact.

With Barcelona running on fumes when it comes to funds, getting unwanted players off the books becomes imperative for the club to push ahead with their plans. And the sale of Coutinho will hold the key for the Blaugrana’s aspirations in the transfer market in January, and the summer claims RAC1.

Earlier this month, sporting director Mateu Alemany made it quite clear that the club’s salary cap is at its limit, making it impossible to register new players until some room is made. And selling someone like Coutinho, who has no role in the side but continues to hog a large space on the payroll, would unlock many doors for the club.

For the longest time, it had been claimed that the Brazilian international did not desire to leave Barca. However, that stance seems to have changed recently, with the player now open to an exit, with his representatives already on the lookout for new clubs.

Given his situation, Coutinho would only stand to gain from joining a club where he can play regularly, especially with the World Cup just around the corner. His exit, as iterated earlier, would also be welcome news for Barcelona. So, a parting of ways would benefit all parties involved. However, it remains to be seen if such a scenario materialises.