You can go ahead and file this one under “unconfirmed nonsense” for now, but you never know what’s going to happen when it comes to Barcelona, do you? Despite being under a transfer ban, the Catalan giants have somehow brought in Atletico Madrid play-maker Arda Turan this summer, and with highly rated youngster Adama Traore looking likely to move to Anfield on loan, the Champions League winners have reportedly asked for a clause to be included that would give them a crack at signing Philippe Coutinho.
Come again? Yes, you read that right. Again, for the time being, it’s a potent cocktail of rumour, speculation and half-witted imagination, but there’s little doubt that the Brazilian superstar, who only just upped his contract with the best team on Merseyside as they plodding to a disappointing sixth place finish, will have caught the eye a number of European juggernauts with his silky displays for both club and country. With competition fierce for Traore’s signature, it’s believed that this special clause — real, imagined, or somewhere in between — is what helped push Liverpool ahead of their rivals and finally sealed the deal.
Either way, it sounds like Barcelona aren’t fixing to snatch the 23-year old away quite yet, but the same can’t be said for the Reds and Traore with the Spaniard reportedly high on boss Brendan Rodgers summer shopping list. Depending on whom you believe, the 19-year old is in various states of transit ahead of a rumoured medical at Melwood after the Reds apparently pushed ahead of the competition in the race for his signature.
Traore, who was part of the Barcelona B team that was unceremoniously relegated to the third tier of Spanish football last season and must release 13-players before their campaign kicks-off, has a story as old as modern football itself with the youngster looking for bigger challenges and more playing time. It sounds like that hasn’t gone down well with his coach Gerard Lopez who isn’t interested in letting him go, telling Spanish media outlet “I’m counting on him” when asked the future of the 19-year old.
