Guillem Balague has rejected claims that Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho could be in line to move to either Barcelona or Real Madrid in the near future.
The renowned Spanish journalist took to his Sky Sports column to agree that the mercurial midfielder had reached a level of performance that was certain to intrigue the La Liga giants, but ruled out either side making a concrete offer for Coutinho in the next transfer window or two.
The Brazil international has been in scintillating form for Liverpool this season, and has helped the Reds climb up to first place in the Premier League table after 11 games of the 2016/17 campaign.
Coutinho has already bagged six goals and six assists in just 12 appearances this term - form that has led to increasing speculation that the former Inter Milan player could be the subject of big-money offers from Spain's and arguably the world's two richest clubs.
Despite his outstanding displays for Jurgen Klopp's side, however, Balague claimed that the 24-year-old needed to keep up his performance levels to entice Real Madrid to make a bid, while stating his belief that he did not see a place in Barcelona's starting line up for Coutinho.
He said: Last time I spoke about Coutinho a few months back, I thought he wasn't ready for Barcelona or Real Madrid.
Balague - Why Coutinho won't go to Barcelona or Real Madrid.. for nowhttps://t.co/CTXsKaZlsx pic.twitter.com/jQNTG4opDW
I can now see that he is the most talented player at Liverpool, he's performing regularly, and is scoring. Yes, he is getting to that level where either Barca or Real can come for him.
He needs a bit more glamour for Real Madrid to have big, big interest. For Barcelona, they need to decide what to do with Arda Turan, and then they have to decide whether a player like Coutinho fits in that team.
The problem with Coutinho as a No 10, he hasn't got a place in a Barcelona 4-3-3. He has to play wide, or play deeper, but that isn't his role, so it's difficult to find a place for him. Let's see who the manager is at Barcelona next season, or if Luis Enrique continues, but certainly he would be so expensive that I couldn't see Barca coming in for him just yet. At the moment, neither of them are in the equation, but let's see how things progress.�
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