Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has urged his former club to look into the re-signing of Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona during the next transfer window.
The Brazil international was one of the standout performers for the Reds during his time at Anfield but he made the permanent move to the Camp Nou in January 2018.
Coutinho has since experienced a mixed set of fortunes and he is currently on a season-long loan with Bayern Munich, who have the choice to buy him at the end of the campaign.
The Bundesliga holders have been tipped to decline the buy option and Thompson insists that he would personally have Coutinho back with the Reds ‘in a heartbeat’.
“They are probably looking at that creative midfield player. Would you take Coutinho back? I would, in a heartbeat. I think he’s a creative genius,” he told Sky Sports (h/t Standard Sport).
“You look back at his Liverpool career and he was absolutely terrific. He’s not too old and I still think he could come back. It probably won’t happen but it’s that creative player just off the front three that would probably just tip the balance.”
Coutinho has managed to register nine goals and eight assists for Bayern this term but most of those contributions (seven goals and seven assists) came during the first half of the season.
Since the turn of the year, he has been a lesser influence on the team’s performances and he was able to bag only two goals and one assist from his 10 appearances before the coronavirus shutdown.
During this period, he started off the bench on a number of occasions and it appears quite clear that the playmaker won’t remain at the Allianz Arena beyond the summer.
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp’s side are likely to sign a creative player ahead of next season but The Mirror has recently claimed that they have zero interest in re-acquiring the services of Coutinho.
Instead, the focus appears on recruiting a new centre-forward and the club are understood to hold a ‘strong interest‘ in landing the signature of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig.
Should Werner sign for the Merseyside outfit, there could be the possibility of Roberto Firmino dropping into a number 10 role such that the German can take up the striker’s position.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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