Former Liverpool man linked with Premier League return Philippe Coutinho ‘in talks’ with new club

Liverpool will already have an eye on next season following the conclusion of the 2024/25 campaign.

The Reds finished third in the Premier League, securing Champions League football for the following season. Jurgen Klopp also guided Liverpool to Carabao Cup victory to end his tenure in the Anfield dugout with some major silverware in his final campaign.

Next season will see Arne Slot take on the role of head coach at Liverpool, where he will officially take over from 1 June. There has already been speculation about the potential new signings Slot could make in his first summer move to the club. .

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Sunday was a relatively quiet day for Liverpool news following the end of the season last week. However, there is still plenty of talk about the Reds online and on social media.

Philippe Coutinho linked to Brazil return

Former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho has been linked with a move back to his homeland of Brazil.

Coutinho left Liverpool in January 2018 in a £142m deal with Barcelona. He has since had spells at Bayern Munich and Aston Villa and has spent most of this season on loan at Qatar’s Al-Duhail.

Fabrizio Romano reported that Coutinho, who is still contracted to Villa, could return to Brazil amid interest from his boyhood club. It has been claimed that Vasco de Gama are moving to try and sign Coutinho on a permanent deal, with the player himself apparently interested in the move.

ECHO says: Coutinho’s career has taken several turns in the years since he decided to leave Liverpool. He helped Barcelona reach the semi-finals of the Champions League and was even part of the Bayern Munich team that won the competition in 2020.

It was hoped, from the player’s and Villa’s perspective, that a return to the Premier League could jump-start his career. However, it seems that may not be the case for the former Anfield hero.

Former Liverpool loanee becomes Everton ‘target’

Former Liverpool loanee Anthur Melo has been linked with a return to the Premier League.

Arthur spent the 2022/23 season on loan with the Reds from Juventus, but made just one appearance for the club due to injury struggles throughout the campaign. He spent this season on loan at Fiorentina where he made 47 appearances in all competitions and helped the Italian club reach the Europa Conference League final.

According to Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, Arthur is “unlikely” to stay at Juventus when he returns from his loan spell. As a result, Premier League duo Everton and West Ham are said to be interested in signing the midfielder.

ECHO says: Arthur’s arrival at Liverpool was a last-minute loan to try and bolster their midfield options in the closing hours of the transfer window. The move didn’t work out for either side and the midfielder showed his skills on his return to Italy during his loan spell at Fiorentina.

A return to the Premier League would give Liverpool a chance to see what they’ve been missing. Should Arthur join Everton, it would add an extra storyline to next season’s Merseyside derbies.