Coutinho OUT, Neymar IN at Barcelona?

Philippe Coutinho is off to Bayern Munich.

The Brazilian is set to say his goodbyes and depart from the Camp Nou after less than two seasons in the Blaugrana kit. The 27-year-old signed with the Catalans back in January 2018 and with his record transfer arrival came a cloud of high expectations following five exceptional campaigns at Liverpool. The streets of Barcelona were buzzing at the thought of getting the Brazilian on the same roster as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. But his time at Barça did not go as planned, making a complete U-turn and spiralling into one of the players critiqued most at Can Barça. Head coach Ernesto Valverde never quite got the best out of him, and never quite figured out where to utilize the footballer on the pitch, shifting him from his natural position in midfield to the left wing. Nothing seemed to work out for the playmaker: neither for himself, nor the club nor the manager, despite the footballer holding a close relationship with the heavyweights of the dressing room.

Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images

So what does this all mean? Well, I see Coutinho’s exit as an indication that a new man is getting ready to put pen to paper with Barça and I think this ‘new man’ is none other than Neymar Junior. It would be impossible to think that after just two seasons, two single seasons, FC Barcelona are willing to loan out their most expensive signing of 145 million euros to powerhouse Bayern Munich without expecting a top class replacement. So, if the past several weeks of the never-ending soap opera drama starring Neymar wasn’t enough for you, sit back, relax and enjoy the show because from now on it, it will be one heck of a rollercoaster ride with the PSG star moving closer than ever to filling his compatriot’s gap in the squad.