Ronaldinho: 'Philippe Coutinho good enough to replace Neymar at Barcelona'

By Danielle Joynson, Staff Reporter | 02 August 2017

Ronaldinho: 'Coutinho can replace Neymar'

Ronaldinho believes that Philippe Coutinho is the ideal replacement for Neymar, who is expected to leave Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho has claimed that Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho is good enough to fill the void soon to be left by Neymar.

The 25-year-old is widely expected to seal a world-record £198.6m move to Paris Saint-Germain in the coming days.

Barcelona confirmed that Neymar has been granted permission to "resolve his future", and the Brazil international has already bid farewell to teammate Lionel Messi.

The Catalan giants have been linked to Coutinho in the past few weeks, and Ronaldinho believes that the playmaker is the perfect replacement.

"There are only very few players in the world who can replace Neymar, and I have said that I think Coutinho could play for them," The Mirror quotes the 37-year-old as saying.

"He is at a level where he could come and fill the gap left by Neymar, but Liverpool will know his worth and after the fees of this summer it will cost Barcelona."

Reports have claimed that the Reds have rejected bids of £72m and £89m from Barcelona already.