Lionel Messi Misaligned With Barcelona’s Ronald Koeman's Transfer Preference Regarding Attacking Midfielder

The current setup in Barcelona features a lot of adjustments with the recent firing of manager Quique Setien. With the restructuring of their roster, one thing that must be prioritized is keeping Lionel Messi happy to stay with the club.

With current transfer prospects lined up for the team, Messi has pushed for the signing of Neymar or Lautaro Martinez. But for newly signed manager Ronald Koeman, it’s Barcelona loanee Philippe Coutinho that has piqued his interests, per Fansided’s Everything Barca. This misalignment adds to the tension and uncertainty of Messi's future with the club.

The attacking midfielder Coutinho was part of Barcelona for 76 appearances where he tallied 21 goals and notched 11 assists before being loaned to Bayern Munich.

The 28-year-old, playing a role for Bayern Munich’s success, has been heavily linked to Koeman for some time now and is awaiting the Brazilian star’s willingness to play in the near future. With the Champions League recently finished, Coutinho was a crucial part of the winning squad where he suited up for 11 appearances and played considerable time from the left-wing.

With Bayern Munich defeating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0, they were crowned as this season’s Champions League winners. Despite the win, Coutinho is still contemplating his future despite his speculated return to Barcelona.

“I have not thought about it. Until now I was only thinking about the final. Now I have to go back. What I can say is that I want to work and succeed and we’ll see what happens,” Coutinho said by way of SB Nation’s Barca Blaugranes.

It has been a difficult stretch for all of the teams given the economic impact of the global pandemic. Teams must be prudent in their financial decisions and each signing must be worth every cent. The estimated market value of Coutinho is at 56 million Euros per Transfermarkt, who has been on high morale in his stint with Bayern Munich.

“We have had a great season. We have prepared very well from the beginning and I think we deserved this victory. We are very happy,” Coutinho continued.

It will be interesting to see where Coutinho will eventually end up. It will be crucial for Barcelona to manage Messi’s expectations and the entire team’s development given everything that has happened in the past few weeks.