Ex-Liverpool star who flopped after Anfield exit about to have his 'contract torn up'

Liverpool have signed some exceptional talents over the years and as the summer transfer window approaches, they have clubs knocking at the door with interest in Mohamed Salah, Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez and other key players signed under Jurgen Klopp’s reign.

According to recent reports, Barcelona have been keeping an eye on both Díaz and Núñez, which will remind fans of previous years when the La Liga giants have raided Anfield for blockbuster transfers in the past. Their swoop for Luis Suárez in 2014 is one of the most memorable but their mammoth move for Philippe Coutinho remains up on its own pedestal.

The Brazilian superstar was one of Liverpool’s most important players up until his departure in 2018 and fans were left upset, angry and even betrayed when he left Anfield after signing a new five-year deal just months prior. However, Coutinho’s career arc since leaving Liverpool has been lightyears apart from what many expected.

The versatile midfielder signed for Liverpool from Inter Milan for just £8.5 million in 2013 and became one of the Premier League’s trickiest men to defend against. His creative threat in attack and his no-fear approach to scoring goals outside the box made him a huge asset for Liverpool, and Barcelona threw everything at making the signing happen.

Their then-record £142 million move for Coutinho had the world desperate to see what he would achieve at Camp Nou. Fast forward to today, and the once in-demand Brazilian sensation is struggling to hold down a place at any club.

As his game time with Barcelona became more limited, Coutinho was loaned out to Bayern Munich but the Bundesliga side were not willing to make the move permanent. After a short-term stint with Aston Villa, he returned to the Premier League but fell out of favour last year.

The 31-year-old has spent the last season on loan with Al-Duhail SC in Qatar and ahead of his return to Villa Park, Aston Villa are ‘seriously contemplating’ ending their ties with Coutinho. According to GiveMeSport, Villa are looking to offload players in order to release pressure on their wage bill and the Brazilian is at risk of being placed on the chopping block.

The West Midlands outfit are hoping to ‘find a mutual agreement’ to see Coutinho’s contract cancelled, as Unai Emery has shown ‘no indications’ of wanting to ‘make him a prominent figure in his squad’ moving forwards.

The report claims that discussions have started over a potential return to Brazil for Coutinho, which would involve his contract ‘being torn up’ despite it not due to expire until 2026. His current deal is reportedly worth £135,000 per week and while cancelling such an agreement is not a straight forward process, it is ‘understood’ that all parties involved consider this approach the most suitable.