KEY POINTS

  • Philippe Coutinho has made only 11 appearances this season
  • He moved from Liverpool to Barcelona in 2018
  • Newcastle are interested in signing the Brazilian in January

Philippe Coutinho reportedly will not leave FC Barcelona during the upcoming January window amid links with Newcastle United.

Barcelona's new boss Xavi Hernandez wants Coutinho to play under his management before taking a call on the Brazilian midfielder's future, reported Spanish publication SPORT.

Coutinho, who moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for $190 million, is the third most expensive signing in the history of the transfer market in soccer. However, three years later, the Brazil national is still struggling to seal a place for himself in Barcelona's squad.

It was earlier reported that it was unlikely to see Coutinho fit in Xavi's plans at Barcelona and the club was looking to offload him from their wage bracket.

Coutinho made 11 competitive appearances under Ronald Koeman this season. However, after the sacking of the Dutch boss, Coutinho is yet to feature in a game for Barcelona. Since the Brazilian has not reached his full potential with the Catalans, his asking price is expected to be relatively less than what Barcelona had paid for him in 2018.

Following the lucrative Saudi takeover, Newcastle United are expected to spend heavily during the winter window. Coutinho was among the first players to be linked with a move to St. James' Park but now it seems like the 29-year-old midfielder has no intention to leave Camp Nou and at the end of the 2021-22 term, a new solution beneficial for all parties will be sought.

Philippe Coutinho
Coutinho welcomed Neymar's potential return to Barcelona. In this picture, Philippe Coutinho of FC Barcelona reacts during the La Liga match between Malaga and Barcelona at Estadio La Rosaleda, Spain, March 10, 2018. Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images

After 12 games in 2021-22 La Liga, Barcelona are placed ninth in the table, marking their worst-ever start in the Spanish top-flight. Xavi will make his debut as Barcelona head coach when the Camp Nou side hosts Espanyol on Saturday.

It has also been reported that Xavi is in no hurry to make new signings to strengthen his squad and has asked Barcelona's recruitment team to put any potential transfers on hold, for the time being. The former Al-Sadd manager wants time to assess his players at Barcelona and then evaluate his squad over the coming weeks as players return from international duty and injury.

A total of 11 players from Barcelona are injured at present, including Ousmane Dembele, Ansu Fati, Eric Garcia and Gerrard Pique.

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