Barcelona are reportedly prepared to make Philippe Coutinho their third-highest wage earner behind only Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
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| Philippe Coutinho |
The Blaugrana are ready to make another attempt to sign Coutinho in January and are ready to offer a bumper wage packet to the playmaker. Spanish source Diario Gol (h/t Jack Rathborn of the Daily Mirror) revealed Coutinho would sit "only behind Lionel Messi on £500,000 per week and Luis Suarez on £290,000 per week in the pay structure at the Camp Nou."
There are more details of the proposed offer: "The Blaugrana will pay Coutinho a wage in the region of £10 million per year, which will put him on a weekly pay packet around the £200,000 mark."
Rumours of Barca renewing interest in Coutinho have been gathering steam. The Camp Nou club is reportedly ready to bid as much as €120 million for Liverpool's No. 10 in January, per Joaquim Piera of Sport, who revealed an agreement is in place regarding a five-year contract.
Barcelona striker Suarez, who was a team-mate of Coutinho's at Liverpool, suggested to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Sport Witness) the midfielder wanted to move to the Camp Nou this summer.
Barca weren't shy about pursuing Coutinho during most of the summer transfer window. In fact, the club made three offers for the South American schemer, with the last totalling £114 million, according to Pete Jenson of the Daily Mail.
There is no doubt Coutinho's playing style would suit La Liga giants Barcelona, as stylish and fluid attacking football is a requirement for the Blaugrana.
Coutinho would fit this tradition thanks to his natural vision, flair and ingenuity. He is a pass-and-move midfield maestro who thrives in the final third between the midfield and forward lines.
Trying to sign Coutinho has become an ongoing saga for Barca, but it makes sense since he would help kickstart a refresh at a key area in the squad. Specifically, Coutinho could replace veteran Andres Iniesta as the main source of supply for Suarez, Messi and Ousmane Dembele.
Iniesta is now 33 and is set to stay at the club after signing a "lifetime" contract this summer. Even so, Barcelona could use a new chief playmaker to build their fluid brand of football around in midfield.
Yet making the deal happen remains a challenge thanks to Coutinho's continued importance to Liverpool. The 25-year-old has scored four goals and provided three assists in Premier League and UEFA Champions League action this season, per WhoScored.com.
Those numbers have come despite a stunted start to the campaign disrupted by injury and transfer speculation. They are further proof Coutinho boasts the quality and attributes to be a major success at Barcelona if the club can make a deal happen.
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