A report claims Philippe Coutinho now faces the prospect of missing the remainder of the season for Barcelona.
According to reports in Spain, Coutinho might not feature again for the Catalan giants this term.
The simple reason being that Barcelona want to avoid paying a performance-related fee to Liverpool.
As part of his contract, Barcelona would pay Liverpool an extra €5m should Coutinho reach a certain number of games. The Brazilian has featured for the Catalan giants 90 times since 2018, and seven more games will see that clause met.
It is well known that the Spanish giants currently find themselves in a financial mess, so much so they are at risk of bankruptcy. As it stands, Barcelona have up to £1bn in debts.
To avoid paying Liverpool an extra €5m, Spanish outlet Onze claim that Coutinho might sit out the rest of the campaign.
He is currently on the sidelines with an injury but is due to be available for selection again in March.
Barcelona will now keep the Brazilian away from their games except certain circumstances ‘force’ them to bring him into the team.
Coutinho has had a topsy-turvy time since his move to the Nou Camp and this could be a further blow if reports are true.
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