Could Liverpool be about to swap Philippe Coutinho for Barcelona’s Arda Turan
La Liga giants Barcelona are hoping to use Arda Turan as a make-weight in their bid to sign Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool.
The flamboyant Turkey international has frequently been linked with a move to the Merseyside based club in recent years.
Turan himself has even revealed that he is a Liverpool fan and that he is interested in a move to the Premier League.
“I want to play in major leagues and my dream team is Liverpool,” the Turkey international revealed before leaving Galatasaray for Atletico in 2011.
“As I always mention, Liverpool attracts me because of their tradition.
“In Europe, I am a Liverpool supporter, so if I go to play in Europe, I would like to play for them.”
Liverpool wanting Turan is one of the longest lasting transfer sagas in the modern game. Spanish outlet Don Balon have reported that Barcelona want to use Turan as a negotiating tool in an attempt to land Coutinho this summer.
Barcelona have a long-standing interest in Coutinho. The Brazilian playmaker has already established himself as one of the Premier League’s top-performers.
Coutinho is also a regular in the Brazil national team but is yet to get his hands on any major silverware.
Liverpool recently turned down a mega £72 million bid for the former I nter Milan playmaker while and Jurgen Klopp has told the Brazilian he cannot leave this summer.
The Reds do not want to be seen as a selling club especially after returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2014.
However, if you are into sport betting you may be inclined to wager against Liverpool keeping hold of Coutinho, especially if Barcelona end up selling Neymar to Barcelona this summer.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are also expected to challenge for the Premier League title this season.
“Yes, you can say he is not for sale,” Klopp was quoted as saying by the Telegraph.
“But that’s not since this morning or yesterday, it’s not been any different. Phil is a very important player for us.
“He’s trying to get back his rhythm but there’s no doubt about his quality. He’s very smart both offensively and defensively. The nice news is that he’s still young. He has improved a lot since I’ve been here and he can still improve a lot.”
Coutinho put pen-to-paper on a five-year deal last season. The 25-year-old is understood to be happy at Liverpool however, is tempted by a move to Barcelona.
However, the report goes onto state that Turan told Barcelona that he does not want to leave the Catalan club this summer.
Barcelona clearly want to offload the Turkey international this summer but he has made things difficult.
Turan scored 13 times and provided seven assists in all competitions last season.
