'They must tell the truth' - Coutinho agent slams Barca for secretly planning Neymar swap - 7M sport

'They must tell the truth' - Coutinho agent slams Barca for secretly planning Neymar swap



Posted Sunday, July 14, 2019 by Goal.com

'They must tell the truth' - Coutinho agent slams Barca for secretly planning Neymar swap

Kia Joorabchian claims he has received assurances his client won't be sold this summer while learning that some in the club want to move him on

Barcelona must come clean with Philippe Coutinho over his future, according to his agent Kia Joorabchian, who claims the club have promised the Brazilian will remain at Camp Nou while secretly trying to include him in a deal for Neymar.

The 27-year-old attacker has struggled to live up to expectations since his £100 million ($126m) transfer from Liverpool in January 2018.

Coutinho himself has admitted that he had an underwhelming first full campaign at Camp Nou that yielded just five La Liga goals and two assists.

Speculation has mounted about the 27-year-old’s future, with Manchester United , Paris Saint-Germain and even former club Liverpool touted as possible destinations this summer.

When asked about his future last month, the former Inter attacker admitted he was unsure where he would be playing his football next season, though he insisted his main focus was Brazil’s Copa America campaign.

With the tournament now over and attention starting to shift towards the new campaign, Coutinho’s future has again been put in the spotlight.

Joorabchian, however, has attempted to shut down transfer talk by insisting the Barca president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, told Coutinho that the Catalan club have no intention of selling him ahead of the new season.

"I will not let people talk about Philippe and put him down because for one-and-a-half years we have said nothing,” he told the Telegraph . “I won’t let them do that and all of us in Philippe’s camp will not let that happen because Barcelona have told us he is staying.”

Barcelona’s apparent determination to keep Coutinho is contradicted by numerous reports in the media suggesting a summer transfer is on the cards.

'They must tell the truth' - Coutinho agent slams Barca for secretly planning Neymar swap

And in a separate interview with RMC Sport, Joorabchian claimed Andre Cury, Barcelona's recruiter for South America, is secretly trying to arrange a swap for Neymar with PSG which includes Coutinho as part of the deal.

The agent further questioned the motives of the club, demanding to know what Barcelona's intentions are with his client.

"The president [Bartomeu] was clear: he had no intention of selling the player, to any club," Joorabchian told RMC Sport .

"With that, and out of respect for Barcelona's decision to keep him, we chose not to look at the market for our player and we have not offered the player to other clubs.

"But I learned, and it's a fact, that Andre Cury is saying totally different things. Andre Cury is pushing for Coutinho to be included in the transfer for Neymar.

"As I said, Coutinho has no offer from any other clubs because we respected Barcelona's decision, but they do not respect the word they gave to us.

"We have been silent in this period, but it will not be allowed for Barcelona to lie about the player. They must tell the truth!

"And if they want Coutinho to leave, they have to say it. With the player, we will decide what is best for his future."



Attention: Third parties may advertise their products and/or services on our website.7M does not warrant the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of their contents.
Your dealings with such third parties are solely between you and such third parties and we shall not be liable in any way for any loss or damage of any sort incurred by you.