Man City Eye Audacious Move For £35m Liverpool Star As Part Of Triple Anfield Swoop

As the opening of the summer transfer window approaches, managers are working hard identifying targets and lining-up potential deals so we’ll bring you all the news and gossip. Today, Man City are linked with Philippe Coutinho….

Manchester City have added Philippe Coutinho to their list of targets this summer as Manuel Pellegrini eyes an audacious swoop on Liverpool for their £35m-rated attacker, according to reports.

City are expected to be busy in the transfer market this summer after a disappointing campaign that’s seen them fail to mount a serious title defence while they crashed out of the Champions League in the last 16 stage to Barcelona.

Speculation suggests that the soon-to-be deposed Premier League champions already have Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson on their hit-list with both players futures cast in doubt due to talks stalling over new contracts.

The Mirror claim City have now added Coutinho to their list of targets and are eyeing a move for the £35m-rated attacker as part of what could be a sensational triple swoop on Anfield for three of their best players this summer.

However, any deal for the Brazilian playmaker is going to be difficult to pull off as he only signed a new five-year contract extension in February so Liverpool are under no pressure to sell any time soon.

Coutinho  joined Liverpool from Inter Milan for £8.5m in January 2013 and has become a key part of Brendan Rodgers side this season, with the youngster once again proving his worth with a crucial winner in last night’s narrow 1-0 win over Blackburn to book their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Rodgers is going to be desperate to keep hold of the player but the Mirror suggest that City are confident they could lure the 22-year-old away from Anfield by offering him a significant pay rise while they feel he will also be tempted by a move if fifth-placed Liverpool miss out on Champions League qualification.

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That remains to be seen, but my personal view is that Coutinho won’t be going anywhere this summer. He’s recently committed his long-term future to Liverpool, is a key player for the Merseysiders and has shown no signs that he’s looking for a move any time soon.

The situations with Sterling and Henderson are slightly more complex due to their contract stand-offs, but I’d be hugely surprised if Liverpool even entertained any interest in Coutinho this summer, so City will most likely have to move on to other targets.