Stan Collymore Says Barcelona Should Forget About Coutinho & Switch Focus to Man City Star

Barcelona spent most of the transfer window trying to convince Liverpool to sell them Brazilian attacker Philippe Coutinho. And their efforts increased twofold after they lost Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Reds were able to hold on to their player, despite his intention to push through with a move, but that definitely won't be the end of the saga, as the Catalan giants will be sure to return for him when the window reopens next year.

Coutinho is finally picking up form after spending the pre-season, as well as the beginning of the campaign, out of the playing squad. 

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Yet although he's starting to look like his old self again, Stan Collymore reckons that Barca should forget about him and look to sign Manchester City and Belgium star Kevin de Bruyne.

The former Chelsea and Wolfsburg playmaker won City's three points on the weekend with a stunning goal against his former club, and his influence in midfield is quite remarkable when he's on form.

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Collymore, who spent two years at Anfield with Liverpool, rates De Bruyne higher than Coutinho and is of the opinion that the Belgian is worth £50m more than the Liverpool man.

“If I was in charge of recruitment at Barcelona I’d be looking to take Kevin De Bruyne over Philippe Coutinho all day long,” he wrote in his column for the Mirror.

“It’s not even a contest. If the Brazilian is worth £140m in the Catalan club’s eyes, then the Belgian is more like £180m or £190m.”