Barcelona legend Ronaldinho believes Philippe Coutinho is capable of replacing Neymar – but has sent his old club a warning over pursuing the Liverpool star.
The Catalan giants are on the lookout for reinforcements following the departure of Neymar.
The Brazilian superstar completed a switch to Paris St Germain in a world record £199million deal on Thursday night.
It leaves the La Liga giants short up front and in desperate need of a morale boost ahead of the new season.
It’s understood that Coutinho has been identified as a potential option to replace Neymar. Reports suggest they have registered their interest and are ready to bid in the region of £80m.
So far Liverpool have been incredibly clear that they will not sell their talisman this summer, with the 25-year-old having only signed a new long-term contract in January.
Ronaldinho, who played for Barcelona from 2003-2008, believes Coutinho is a good option for his former side. However he is wary that Liverpool can demand over the odds.
‘There are only very few players in the world who can replace Neymar – and I have said that I think Coutinho could play for them,’ said Ronaldinho.
‘He is at a level where he could come and fill the gap left by Neymar – but Liverpool will know his worth and after the fees of this summer it will cost Barcelona.’
Whether Barcelona turn to Coutinho or someone else (they’ve been linked with Mesut Ozil, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe and Angel di Maria among others) they face the same issue according to Ronaldinho.
‘There is no doubt that Barcelona will try and replace Neymar – but the problem they have is that clubs now know their financial position,’ said the former trickster.
‘The fee for Neymar has been made public and opposition clubs will know that Barcelona have all that money – they are not going to let their best players go cheaply.’
MORE : Philippe Coutinho, Mesut Ozil and the six players Barcelona could target to replace Neymar
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