Barcelona have turned their attention from Philippe Coutinho to Marco Verratti, which is good news for Liverpool but bad news for Arsenal.

  • Coutinho was a target for Barcelona but they prefer Verratti
  • Verratti could leave PSG this summer
  • Arsenal have an interest in the Italian 

Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho had been linked to Barcelona last season as the Brazilian impressed from a deeper position in midfield. But according to Spanish newspaper Sport, Barcelona will drop their interest in Coutinho to chase PSG’s Marco Verratti instead.

Verratti alerted several clubs when he announced his intention to leave PSG this summer. Arsenal are among many admirers who would want to buy the player, although they’ve yet to show a serious interest in the midfielder.

Barcelona’s prioritising Verratti could mean that Arsenal face less competition for central midfielders. Nice’s Jean-Michael Seri is one such midfielder linked with both Barcelona and Arsenal.

A major midfield acquisition could also mean one of Arda Turan, Denis Suarez or Rafinha leaving the Catalan club. Each of them have been linked with the Gunners.