Juventus Set to Make Massive January Bid to Try Prise Philippe Coutinho Away From Liverpool

Italian giants Juventus have reportedly become the latest club to join the race for Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho.

After a summer transfer window full of speculation and drama it was Liverpool who retained the Brazil international star, despite three bids being lodged by the 25-year-old's supposed club of choice, Barcelona.

Liverpool held steadfast in the face of interest from other clubs however, with more top European clubs registering an interest in their key playmaker, it is looking less and less likely Coutinho will don the Liverpool red beyond the 2017/18 campaign.

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While Barcelona still retain an interest in signing Coutinho, they face competition from Paris Saint-Germain and now Italian champions Juventus who have emerged as suitors for the Brazilian.

According to Spanish rumours site Don Balon, Juventus would be willing to offer as much as £155m to secure the services of the playmaker, significantly more than the reported £114m bid from the Blaugrana in the summer.

The emergence of Juventus in the saga could prove to be a major issue for Barcelona as, while they have the financial power to go toe-to-toe with Juventus in a bid to secure Coutinho, the 25-year-old has no buy-out clause in his contract, meaning Liverpool hold all the cards in negotiations.

With such strong interest from all involved parties, an outright bidding war would not be inconceivable as Coutinho looks to be the hottest player on the market in Europe this season.

To his credit, Coutinho has not let the mass interest from other clubs have an effect on his performance on the pitch, contributing to a total of seven goals from nine games across all competitions so far this season.