Chelsea have been heavily linked with a move for Barcelona misfit Philippe Coutinho at the end of the current season. But according to Frank Leboeuf, Lampard should resist a move for the Brazilian.
The ex-Chelsea star claims Barcelona have put Philippe Coutinho in the price bracket of a top-class player but according to him, the 27-year-old cannot be compared to the likes of Mbappe and Neymar.
He told ESPN, via Metro: ‘Well, to be really honest, and frank, no [Chelsea should not sign him].
‘I think Coutinho is a good player and I’m not even trying to be harsh on him, I think I want to find Barcelona guilty for the situation because they put a price on Coutinho who I think doesn’t belong to that league. Now it’s hard to reverse the system, it’s hard to think that you can even the price and accept to lose like £65m for a transfer.
‘But if you check on the quality of Coutinho, of course, he is a talented player, of course, he is a good player, but does he belong to the top, top players? Allow me to have some doubts about that.
‘When I see Neymar when I see [Cristiano] Ronaldo when I see [Lionel] Messi when I see [Kylian] Mbappe, I see top, top players.
‘Coutinho has a price of a top, top player and I don’t want to make a statement but I’m not sure he has the quality of a top, top player.’
‘How do you put Coutinho in a team and how do you rate him now?
‘You talk about Chelsea, ready to [pay] £80m. I think it’s too much for a player where you’re not sure he’s going to find the level he was, he used to be, at Liverpool and is not anymore. That’s why I think Coutinho shouldn’t go to Chelsea because there is no room for him and I think it is too much to spend for a player where we don’t know the standard.’
Is Philippe Coutinho actually overpriced?
Barcelona were so desperate to get their hands on the player that they ended up paying a staggering €145 million for his services. And right now the Catalans seems to be caught in their own trap.
Philippe Coutinho has been a massive failure since moving out of the Premier League and right now no club is willing to meet his high transfer price.
And with Bayern Munich refusing to sign the player permanently in the summer, the only solution left for Barcelona is to loan him out once again this time by inserting a mandatory buying clause.
