Is Lanzini replacing Coutinho? Huge gamble TODAY on West Ham star joining Liverpool

Bookmaker Coral have revealed huge cash has been placed ‘in the last couple of hours’ on a move going through this month.

It’s prompted them to slash the odds of a moving going through into 8-11.

Coral spokesman John Hill said: “Now the Coutinho deal has gone through, Liverpool have plenty of cash to play with and punters feel as though they will look to capture West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini who is now odds-on to join the Merseyside club this month.”

Lanzini, 24, has been a key player in his two seasons with the Hammers.

The Argentinian’s loan from Al Jazira in UAE became a £9.4m permanent deal and he is now worth £40m.

The gamble comes after Coutinho agreed a move  to Barcelona at the weekend.

He was unveiled at the Nou Camp yesterday in front of more than 7,000 fans after completing his British record £142m switch from Liverpool.

Coutinho amazingly shelled out £11.5m of his own money to make sure his dream move went through – for the second biggest transfer fee of all time.

“I’m very happy, it’s a dream come true and I hope to be up to the job on the field,” he said.

“I’ve dreamed of playing here many times. This is the most important club of all. Great Brazilian players have been here and I hope to be able to contribute with more success.

“Barca are the best club in the world, great idols of mine played here or are playing here. It was an easy decision.

“It’s very emotional for me to wear the shirt. I am anxious to get going.”

Coutinho, 25, will have to wait up to three weeks to make his debut, however, because of a thigh injury and will not be able to feature in the Champions League for the rest of this season as he has already played in the competition for Liverpool.

“My dream was to come here and these opportunities are unique and I had no doubts,” he said. “Even though I can’t play now in the Champions League, I will be able to for the next five years. I would like to thank Liverpool for the five years I had there and the directors, Mike Gordon (the club’s co-owner) who understood what I wanted, my dream, though they tried very hard to convince me to stay.”

Barca have been chasing Coutinho since last summer and vice-president Jordi Mestre said: “The difference is that there has been a substantial reduction in the cost of this transfer.

“There has been a very important reduction, even though we cannot publicly give the figures.

“Philippe, welcome. We know that you have made a personal and economic effort.”

In Liverpool, the focus is now on how Jurgen Klopp will reinvest the £142m in his squad.

The last time a key Liverpool player left for Barcelona was in 2014 when Luis Suarez signed for £75m.

Then manager Brendan Rodgers splashed out £107m in the same transfer window on Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Lazar Markovic, Alberto Moreno, Emre Can, Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert.