Barcelona Eye Coutinho and Marco Veratti As Iniesta Replacement
Reuters / Christian Hartmann
Barcelona are chasing Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho and PSG’s Marco Verrati, according to reports in Spain.
Mundo Deportivo claim the La Liga giants have made the final call, it’s the perfect time to replace 32-year-old skipper Andres Iniesta. The Spaniard has been plagued by injuries and summer signings Andre Gomes and Denis Suarez have failed to fill the void.
This isn’t the first time that the Liverpool star has been linked with a move to Barca though, as several reports last year claimed that Liverpool had placed a £67m price tag on him to fend off interest from the La Liga outfit.
Spanish media report, Barcelona are now keen to bring in a proven world class midfielder, rather than waiting for talented youngsters to make the grade.
Along with Coutinho, PSG’s midfield sensation Marco Verratti is also a potential summer target, and the two players’ gigantic price tags will not put Barcelona off.
Verratti is suing French outlet l’Equipe for claiming he went out clubbing just two days before the Ligue 1 champions’ 6-1 drubbing at the Nou Camp. And some sources suggest the episode has irritated him so much that he is considering a move away from Paris.
Reuters / John Sibley
Meanwhile, Barcelona are quite impressed with Coutinho’s ability to bring the best out of Neymar. The two players had a wonderful partnership with Gabriel Jesus in a Brazil front three that hammered Lionel Messi’s Argentina 3-0 in November.
And Coutinho is well known at Barcelona after spending six months loan spell from Inter Milan at their city rivals Espanyol in 2012.
The Catalans could also try to bring back former star Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich.