FC Barcelona could receive a cash windfall if Philippe Coutinho heads to Saudi Arabia.
FC Barcelona could receive a much-needed cash injection if one of their former players heads to Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks.
The Catalans smashed their club transfer record in 2018 when agreeing to pay Liverpool an amount capable of rising to £142 million ($156 million) for Philippe Coutinho.
The deal never worked out for the Brazilian, however, who tried and failed to make an impact under a number of different coaches while sent out on loan twice to Bayern Munich and Aston Villa.
Before the end of the 2021-2022 season, Villa decided to purchase the Rio native permanently and paid Barca a reported £17 million ($21.6 million) to sign him on a four-year contract.
Just under 15 months on, however, the 31-year-old is being linked to Saudi Arabia where a number of European football stars have been lured with the guarantee of higher salaries than even the super rich Premier
Sources such as Footballer Insider have reported that the Saudis are preparing a "huge offer" for Coutinho, and Mundo Deportivo believe that Villa would be paid at least €20 million ($22 million) in a potential transfer.
In the event of this development, Barca would then be set to receive half - or €10 million ($11 million) - for Coutinho which will go a long way in their quest to navigate Financial Fair Play limits.
At present, Barca have just 13 men registered for the upcoming 2023/2024 campaign they will start as defending La Liga champions.
Ahead of their first fixture away at Getafe in six days' time, fresh faces such as Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu aren't allowed to feature while two of the stars with the green light could be on their way out of the club post-haste.
Franck Kessie is expected to have his move to Al-Ahli announced as soon as Monday, but Ousmane Dembele's €50 million ($55 million) switch to Paris Saint-Germain is being held back by a mix-up with the necessary documentation.
In addition to trying to register existing members of Xavi Hernandez's senior squad, president Joan Laporta is also attempting - and thus far failing - to buy Gundogan's ex-Manchester City teammates Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo.