Liverpool drama: Brazil’s failure could lead to quick Philippe Coutinho transfer

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 14: Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool in action during the UEFA Europa League quarter final, second leg match between Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund at Anfield on April 14, 2016 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 14: Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool in action during the UEFA Europa League quarter final, second leg match between Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund at Anfield on April 14, 2016 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Liverpool would have preferred to see Brazil advance further in Copa America

It’s not often that the interests of Liverpool and the Brazilian national team are aligned, but both entities could suffer from the quick Brazilian exit from Copa America. Big changes are surely coming to the Brazilian setup, but their quick ousting could cost Liverpool the services of attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho.

Liverpool fans have rightly been buoyed by Coutinho’s declaration in today’s Mirror that he loves playing for Klopp at Anfield. Still, the fact that the talented midfielder has hit the transfer market earlier than expected could cost the Reds his services this summer.

The logic here is pretty straight forward. There are quite a few potential transfer targets that are currently occupied by their participation in either Copa America or Euro 2016. That shrinks the number of players that big clubs have an opportunity to sign currently.

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The shrinkage of that potential purchase pool, will increase the attention and focus that clubs put on players who are no longer caught up in those competitions. Most expected Brazil to advance into the Copa America knockout round, which would have kept Coutinho’s attention occupied for at least another week.

Now that Brazil has flamed out of the tournament, Coutinho has been thrust back into a smaller pool of players who are available for more immediate transfers. Anxious clubs that are looking to get their transfer business done early in the window, are naturally going to kick the tires on players in Coutinho’s position while they can’t really proceed with targets still involved in the summer’s major competitions.

The simple economics of this put Liverpool in a tough spot. It’s clear that Coutinho does enjoy playing at Anfield, but he hasn’t gone so far as to declare any sort of undying devotion to his Premier League club. The chances are quite high that his head could be turned by one of Europe’s elite clubs if they came calling. Someone like Barcelona, Real Madrid or even PSG might be tough for Coutinho to turn down.

The good news for Liverpool is that the premium attention placed on Coutinho should lessen as each week of the summer goes by. More and more players will see their teams eliminated from summer competition and as such, will enter the available transfer market. Coutinho’s prime position in the shop window will decrease over time.

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Still, the next week or two should be crucial for Liverpool’s hopes of hanging on to their midfield talisman. If they can make it through June without Coutinho being seriously linked to one of Europe’s elite, they should be able to weather the storm of transfer interest. If a global hegemon is able to turn his head in the next few weeks, Jurgen Klopp may be searching for a new number 10 this summer.