Just hours after scoring his first hat-trick for Liverpool, Philippe Coutinho has admitted he is unsure where his future lies.
The news, carried by Sky Sports will set alarm bells ringing at Anfield, who fought valiantly last summer to stave off interest from Barcelona for their Brazilian playmaker.
Their determination has been rewarded by a series of scintillating performances this season from Coutinho, culminating in Wednesday night’s trio of goals that helped Liverpool thrash Spartak Moscow 7-0 and progress to the last 16 of the Champions League as group winners.
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But the rumours have never gone away that Barcelona will be back in January with a bid even bigger than the £113million offer that was kicked into the long Liverpool grass by Jurgen Klopp last summer.
Asked about his future plans in the wake of Wednesday’s walloping of Spartak, Coutinho replied: “I am at Liverpool and I always do my best when I have the opportunity to play, respecting the jersey and the supporters.”
But pressed for a less diplomatic answer, the 25-year-old obliged by saying: “I do not know how the future is going to be. What will happen in January, we will know it in January. I do not know if there will be an offer.
“Last summer there was a job offer in the same way that happens with any employee and I was interested in it. Since I stayed I have played with will and desire. Of course a lot happened in the summer but my will is always to play and do the best wherever I am - that has not changed.”
While his avowal to do his best for the Reds will be appreciated by the Kop, Coutinho’s admission that something might happen next month will cause a few sleepless nights over the Christmas period for Klopp, especially with The Sun claiming that Barcelona are lining up a “stunning £127m bid” for the South American sorcerer.
