Barcelona Prepared to Sell Philippe Coutinho Unless He Dramatically Improves His Form

Barcelona are reportedly prepared to sell Philippe Coutinho at the end of the season, barring a dramatic improvement in his form by the end of the season.

After leaving Liverpool in a huge deal worth £142m deal last January, Coutinho has struggled greatly for form. He has just nine goals from 40 appearances, enduring a five-month La Liga drought, and many fans have resorted to booing the Brazilian during games.

Barcelona have persisted with Coutinho but, according to Marca, they are prepared to part ways with the winger in the summer, even if he does improve.

An injury to Ousmane Dembele will give Coutinho plenty of chances to impress over the next month, and Marca state that Barcelona are desperate to see the 26-year-old improve, even if that is to simply increase his transfer value.

The Blaugrana still retain some hope that he will be able to establish himself as a first-team star at the Camp Nou, but patience is wearing thin with the Brazilian and, if he does not perform to their high standards, he will be sold at the end of the season.

Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/GettyImages

The likes of Chelsea and Manchester United have been linked with a move for Coutinho in recent weeks, but they will not pay anything close to £142m for a player who has looked utterly bereft of confidence this year.

However, a string of impressive performances between now and the end of the season would certainly increase his value, and Barcelona would need to see a real improvement from Coutinho if they are to avoid making a sizeable loss on the winger.

Marca state that his departure 'would not be traumatic' for Barcelona, who can still rely on the likes of Dembele and Malcom to line up alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

Selling Coutinho would also raise a considerable amount of transfer funds which could be reinvested in the playing squad. The likes of Paulo Dybala and Christian Eriksen have been linked with moves to the Camp Nou, and Barcelona could certainly look to sign another high-profile replacement for Coutinho.