Barcelona’s record signing Philippe Coutinho has cast doubt over his future at the club, admitting that he doesn’t know if he’ll still be in Catalonia next season.
The former Liverpool star has been unable to find his feet since arriving at the club in a deal worth up to £140m last year, making 76 appearances where he’s most prominently featured on the left wing.
Coutinho has been at the centre of speculation linking him with a move away for a number of months, and the 27-year-old has added even more fuel to the fire by admitting he doesn’t know what the future holds at Camp Nou.
“I don’t know if I will continue at Barcelona,” Coutinho said, quoted by Marca. “Nobody knows about the future, and right now I am focused on playing with my [national] team [at the Copa América].”
Coutinho has already ruled out a move to Manchester United due to his past on Merseyside, while a rumoured switch to join Chelsea will be impossible to complete until their transfer ban expires in 2020.
Most recently, however, the Brazil international has been linked with a swap deal to Paris Saint-Germain which would see Neymar – the player that Coutinho replaced at Barcelona – move in the opposite direction.
However, the Catalan press have categorically ruled out Neymar’s return during this transfer window, with Barcelona already committed to spending close to £80m on Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong and Atlético Mineiro’s Emerson, who has spent the last year on loan in La Liga.
Big spending rivals Real Madrid are suggested to be interested in capitalising on Barcelona’s position by putting themselves in the race for Neymar’s signature, but even if there was any truth to those rumours, UEFA’s Financial Fair Play would surely halt it in its tracks.
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