Having encountered difficulties in their pursuit of Blackpool winger Thomas Ince, it appears Liverpool have turned to Inter Milan’s Brazilian forward Philippe Coutinho as a possible alternative—with an £8 million bid reportedly having been rejected.
Coutinho, 20, arrived at Inter in 2010 after a €4 million transfer from Vasco da Gama, but has struggled to find a consistent place in the Nerazzurri team.
He did, though, impress at the end of the 2011-12 season during a loan spell with Espanyol in Spain and has grown frustrated with his lack of opportunity at the San Siro.
Having made his Brazil debut in a 2010 friendly against Iran, he has also dropped out of national team contention due to a lack of playing time at club level. With Brazil fast approaching major competitions, that has no doubt influenced the young stars desire for a January exit.
This season, Coutinho has made just three Serie A starts for his club—also appearing from the subs bench on seven occasions.
He has largely been limited to a role in the club’s Europa League side, where he has appeared nine times this campaign, scoring twice.
Source: Guardian
