Barcelona dealt blow after confirming Philippe Coutinho will undergo knee surgery which is likely to keep him sidelined long term after limping off injured against Eibar… and it’s also bad news for Liverpool who could now miss out on £18m windfall
- Philippe Coutinho picked up injury in Barcelona’s draw with Eibar on Tuesday
- The playmaker was forced to limp off in stoppage time during the LaLiga clash
Barcelona have been dealt a huge blow after confirming that Philippe Coutinho will undergo knee surgery which is likely to keep him sidelined long term.
Coutinho was a second half substitute in Barca’s 1-1 draw at home to Eibar on Tuesday, only to depart in stoppage time after picking up a knee injury.
Barcelona released a statement on their website confirming that the playmaker will undergo the treatment in the next few days but did not give a time frame on how long he would be out for.
Philippe Coutinho is set to face a lengthy spell on the sidelines following a knee injury
The playmaker went down holding his knee in stoppage time during Tuesday’s clash with Eibar
The statement read: ‘The tests carried out on the first team player Philippe Coutinho have shown that the midfielder has an injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee.
‘Treatment will necessitate arthroscopic surgery which will take place in the coming days.’
The injury is also bad news for Liverpool who could now miss out on an expected £18million this season as a result of their £130million deal to sell the Brazilian to the Nou Camp in 2018.
Barcelona have confirmed he will undergo surgery for the injury in the next few days
Barca medics treat the player who has struggled for form during his time at the club
Coutinho limps off with assistance from Barca medics in the closing stages of the LaLiga clash
Part of the transfer according to El Periodico, was that should Coutinho play 100 competitive games for Barcelona, the Spanish side would have to pay the Premier League champions £18m.
Coutinho was set to reach that mark during this campaign, with his substitute appearance on Monday being his 90th overall – meaning 10 more appearances in any competition this season would activate the clause.
The playmaker has struggled to make an impact at the Spanish side since joining nearly three years ago and spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich.
Although Ronald Koeman has given him a second chance to revive his career at the Nou Camp after arriving as manager in the summer, Coutinho still struggles to produce his best displays he produced in a Liverpool shirt during his five years at Anfield.
The news will also come as a blow to Liverpool who were expected to make another £18million from selling Coutinho to Barca in 2018 if he made another 10 compeititve appearances
Ronald Koeman’s cash strapped side have endured a tough season, sitting sixth in the table
Despite playing 14 times under Koeman this term, he has only completed 90 minutes on one occasion and continues to be linked with moves away from the club as cash strapped Barca look to raise funds to pursue transfer targets.
Coutinho remains under contract until 2023 and Barca are well aware of the 100-game clause they could have to pay Liverpool.
As a result they are desperate to sell and are willing to make a huge loss on him by accepting offers of around £45m in January.
Barcelona’s draw at home capped off a miserable 2020 for the Spanish side who will now enter the new year sixth in LaLiga and at least seven points behind leaders Atletico Madrid despite having played two more games, with Diego Simeone’s side in action on Wednesday night at home to Getafe.
