COUTINHO TO BE USED AS BAIT
Barca to offer unsettled former Liverpool star to PSG for Neymar
BARCELONA are set to offer Philippe Coutinho to Paris Saint-Germain as a makeweight in an effort to bring Neymar back to the Nou Camp this summer.
The Brazilian, who moved to the French capital from Barcelona in 2017 for a worldrecord fee of £198 million (RM1 billion), is far from settled and could be tempted by a move back.
Barca are said to be keen on a reunion with the forward and are reportedly willing to let one of their assets head to the French capital to help reach a deal.
According to the Daily Record, the Catalan giants are considering using Coutinho or French forward Ousmane Dembele in a
part-exchange deal for Neymar.
Both players were PSG targets before they moved to the Nou Camp from Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund respectively.
However, they have been underwhelming for Ernesto Valverde’s side and Barca are keen to cash in on them if it helps bring Neymar back.
The Brazilian is also attracting interest from Real Madrid but reports earlier this week suggested they would need to produce an incredible financial package ‘worth £1.2 million a week to prize Neymar away from PSG’.
According to AS, Neymar’s staggering wage demands would be integral to any move from the Parc des Princes to the Bernabeu with Zinedine Zidane desperate to galvanise his squad with a Galactico signing.
PSG boss Thomas Tuchel also recently admitted he cannot guarantee both Neymar and star striker Kylian Mbappe will be lining up for the club next season.
Both players have been linked with moves away from the Parc des Princes and, though Tuchel wants them to stay, he says he isn’t ‘naive’ enough to assume anything.
France striker Mbappe hinted at a departure when he admitted he was open to a ‘new project’ at an awards ceremony earlier this month.
PSG manager Tuchel, who was in Monaco for Sunday’s Grand Prix, told Sky Sports: “I am used to this. Now it is May, the stuff that I say now might not be true next month.
“Things are like they are, there is a lot of speculation which means we have a lot of quality and talent.
“My wish as a manager and as a coach is clear, I want all my players to stay at PSG and stay with our project. The work is not finished, it has just started.
“My wish is clear, but I can’t promise as that would be naive and I don’t want to be naive in this business.”