Leicester City make shock £20m bid for Barcelona attacking midfielder Coutinho
Leicester City are considering a surprise move for Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho, according to reports in Spain.
The 29-year-old has failed to live up to expectations since joining the Catalan giants from Liverpool in a reported £105million move, scoring just 15 LaLiga goals in 64 Spanish top-flight appearances.
The Brazilian has not played for Barcelona in 2021 after suffering a serious knee injury which ended up requiring two surgeries against Eibar in late December.
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Leicester City going in for Coutinho: Now Mundo Deportivo claim Barcelona are keen to offload Coutinho from their inflated wage bill, and have linked Leicester with a £20m move for the former Inter Milan star.
Current Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers worked with Coutinho at Liverpool when they went agonisingly close to winning the Premier League in 2013-14.
And Leicester are mentioned as one of a few clubs interested in signing Coutinho, with Barcelona hoping competition will help them recoup as much of the enormous fee they paid for him in January 2018.
Premier League rivals Everton and Arsenal have also been linked with moves for the Brazil star, but neither would be able to offer him European football unlike Europa League side Leicester – during the 2021-22 season.
But any move would appear risky given Coutinho’s struggles with form since his move to Barcelona.
He spent the 2019-20 campaign on loan at Bayern Munich and while he helped them win the treble the Bundesliga giants opted against signing him permanently.
He has also won LaLiga and the Copa del Rey since leaving Liverpool, but he has struggled to replicate the sort of form which saw him score 41 goals in 152 Premier League appearances during a five-year spell at Anfield.
Leicester City going in for Coutinho: The news comes amid reports earlier this week that the Barcelona hierarchy is looking to sell as many as 18 first-team players in this transfer window.
The club’s debt amounts to a staggering £862m and are said to be hoping that selling the likes of Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and Sergio Busquets can ease those fears.
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