Two major reasons why Barcelona are set to drop interest in £130m Liverpool star in favour of Arsenal playmaker

Barcelona have reportedly cooled their interest in Liverpool star playmaker Philippe Coutinho.

Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo have linked Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil with a January move to the La Liga giants.

Per the source, Barca are ready to make Ozil their first choice transfer target in January and believe the 29-year-old has two distinct advantages over Coutinho

Firstly, the Germany international is more appealing as he would be significantly less expensive than the Brazilian.

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Coutinho would cost in excess of £130 million whereas Ozil could be available for cut-price deal in January with Arsenal looking to cash in.

The German playmaker has under seven months left on his contract with Arsenal and could end up leaving the club for free next summer.

Secondly, Ozil hasn’t featured in the UEFA Champions League this season. This mean he would be eligible to play in the Champions League in the second half of the season for Barcelona.