It seems that, regardless of whether or not the Brazilian leaves this summer, Liverpool are planning a post-Coutinho era.
That’s what Sport in Spain are suggesting on Friday afternoon as they claim the Reds have targeted West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini this summer, and are willing to ‘fight for him’.
The news of the interest seemed to emerge in England on Thursday, but that was mostly as a ‘if Coutinho leave, this is who Liverpool will target’ story.
Sport, on the other hand, seem to think that even if the former Inter starlet were to stay, Jürgen Klopp’s side would still want the Argentinean playmaker at Anfield.
Coutinho is said to have already agreed terms with Barcelona, and is waiting for the two sides to agree on a fee for him to leave, something Liverpool are very reluctant to do.
Klopp knows that if he wants his team to improve on last season, keeping hold of his star player will be key, and bringing in Lanzini would add quality and depth to his squad.
Of course, convincing West Ham to part ways with their playmaker won’t be easy, especially since the Hammers are themselves keen to put last season’s woes behind them and challenge once again for a European spot.
A lot of money will need to exchange hands for this to happen, but considering how much Liverpool are prepared to spend on Naby Keita and Virgil Van Dijk, that shouldn’t be a problem.
