Reds Close In On Coutinho

21 January 2013

Liverpool expect to sign Brazilian attacking midfielder, Coutinho, from Inter Milan by the end of the week.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Reds are in advanced talks with the Nerrazzurri over the signing of 20-year-old Brazil international Coutinho, who scored five goals in 16 La Liga appearances on loan with Espanyol last season.

Liverpool had hoped to re-sign their former player, Tom Ince.

But Blackpool have been playing hardball over Ince’s transfer fee, and so the Reds have turned their attention to Coutinho, who was highly rated by Inter when he moved there from Vasco Da Gama in 2010, but has subsequently fallen out of favour at the San Siro.

The recent speculation had been that Liverpool were after Wesley Sneijder, but after the Dutchman agreed to join Galatasaray, it became clear that the Reds had been focused on Coutinho instead.

Coutinho has pace to burn, and typically slick Brazilian technical skills.

He is a versatile forward, and can play across the front–line or as a number 10. And at just 20-years-old, Coutinho's reported fee in the region of £10million could represent a great deal for Liverpool going forward.