The rumors of Liverpool midfield star Philippe Coutinho seemingly only ratchet up by the day now. After praising Brazilian teammate Neymar, many believe that he is definitely on his way out of Anfield to join Luis Suarez at the club as former Reds.
But reports out of Spain suggest that Barcelona might just have to part ways with one of their own in order to help push the deal across the line. According to Don Balon, the man might well be Ivan Rakitic.
The year old Croatian international has taken some heat in Catalonia this term, but is still one of the best overall midfielders in the world. Any deal done for Coutinho will, on the face of it, hurt Jurgen Klopp’s men.
But if they get a decently large fee along with Rakitic, it might just be worth doing. Rakitic can play both ways, and he’s very underrated at doing so. Klopp loves that style of play, and it would be a joy to see him play.
With Coutinho leaving being inevitable, the Reds might as well make sure and get plenty back in exchange for the young Brazilian. The Croatian and money on top of that could be a good way to go forward, especially given that Rakitic is a proven winner.
