Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho continues to refuse to guarantee that he’ll stay at the club for much longer.
The Brazilian star, who scored a hat-trick against Spartak Moscow in the Champions League last night, was then asked by UOL about his permanence in Anfield.
But instead of that same old speech, this time he wasn’t afraid to say he’s interested in joining Barcelona after an offer he received.
Speaking to UOL, he said: “I don’t know, nobody knows what the future will be like, what happens in January, we will know in January.
“I am at Liverpool and whenever I have the opportunity to get on the pitch I give my best, with a lot of respect for this shirt and the fans.”
Regarding Barcelona’s bid from the summer, which UOL claims was €160m, Coutinho said: “It was a job offer as for any other person and I became interested. But since I’ve stayed at the club I have entered the pitch with great will and strength.”
The player also spoke about his hat-trick, which helped Liverpool to reach the Champions League knockout stage for the first time in nine years: “It was a special night and very remarkable for the result, for the three goals and for being captain in a big game for a club like this.”
This week, the very same UOL had a report saying that Liverpool now admit that Coutinho could be off soon. The player has reportedly already been told the transfer to Barcelona can happen at the end of the season, as the Reds are expecting the Catalan side to make a new official bid.
Coutinho’s entourage was told that Barça will come offering €150m this time, so by offering less, they are probably very confident that he’s moving. And the player’s quotes weren’t the only thing that teased with a move last night.
At least not to the Catalan press.
Newspaper Sport had a column today saying Coutinho’s serious facial expressions during the celebrations showed how unhappy he is at the club.
The journalist who wrote the story says he ‘suspects’ that this is all happening because Liverpool didn’t let the star leave for Barcelona in the summer.
Regardless of Coutinho’s will, he urges Barça to go for him just because of his skills, as he’s be ‘the perfect partner’ for Suarez and Messi at the club.
