Those familiar with the essentials of sports betting, and those that closely follow European football, know that Barcelona remain the heavy betting favorites to land the services of Liverpool star man Philippe Coutinho. Even so, one of Coutinho’s Brazilian compatriots, Thiago Silva, recently admitted that he has attempted to lure Coutinho to Paris.
When recently speaking with the French media, the Paris St. Germain defender said that he has spoken with Coutinho regarding a potential move to Ligue 1.
Silva said, “I speak a lot to him. I hope that before the end of the season, even before, for Christmas, there could be a surprise for us. I hope he’ll think things over carefully and next year he’ll be working with us.”
Coutinho reportedly told Liverpool’s brass that he wished to move to Barcelona, but the Catalan giants repeatedly had their overtures rebuffed by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. Despite the fact that Coutinho is still playing for Liverpool, most believe this will be his final campaign at Anfield.
Most expect Coutinho to move on next summer, though there remains a small chance that he could be wearing a new shirt by the time the January transfer window closes. Barcelona will almost surely attempt to re-engage Liverpool in talks for Coutinho, but might the Brazilian be tempted to join some of his national team teammates in France?
Coutinho has a well-documented friendship with PSG star Neymar, and the two have spoken publicly about their desire to play together at the club level at some point. That said, it’s not like prying Coutinho away from Liverpool will come cheap. PSG just spent a record €222 million to sign Neymar away from Barca. With FIFA’s financial fair play regulations cracking down on teams that overspend, Paris may balk at the idea of paying well over €100 million to pair Coutinho with Neymar at this point.
Silva added, “I’m giving a lot of advice to him, but the main thing is that he’s able to take the best decision for himself.”
While Neymar and Thiago Silva can hope to join forces with Coutinho at some point, PSG have already reportedly secured a deal with another young Brazilian phenom. ESPN FC reports that PSG are on the verge of signing 20-year-old Brazilian star Wendel for a fee of around €10 million. The deal is expected to be consummated once the transfer window opens in January.
