There was a WWE wrestler in the 1980s, The “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase, and he had a saying- “everybody’s got a price.”
At this point you have to wonder what Liverpool’s is in regards to Philippe Coutinho. Likewise on the other side with Barcelon; how much before the give up their pursuit of the star midfielder? The Brazilian has publicly stated his desire to join Barca, and the Catalan club keeps upping the ante.
They have now launched a fourth offer of £138 million to try and prise him away from Anfield.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp continues to maintain that Coutinho is not for sale, but the bookmakers are less convinced, with some offering even money on a transfer finally materializing.
At this point, it’s very hard to determine who’s making the worse decision- Barcelona or Liverpool? Is the Camp Nou just that desperate, because they’re offering the second biggest transfer fee in history for a guy who’s maybe not even among the top 20 players in the world? Is Anfield being even stupider, by turning down the chance to sell a player for much more than double his value?
Liverpool don’t need the money, and clearly they’re very concerned that a Coutinho sale would cement their status as a “selling club” going forward and turn off the more casual contingent of their fan base. For the La Liga powerhouse, they have an astronomical influx of cash from the Neymar sale, and they’re running out of places to try and spend it in the final week that the summer transfer window is open.
Coutinho’s numbers don’t exactly jump off the page at you. He had 13 goals and seven assists last season; eight and five the previous year, five and five the season before that.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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