Gerrard: Barca And Real Will Want Coutinho

Steven Gerrard has called on his former club to hold on to and treasure Philippe Coutinho, before he follows in the footsteps of Suarez.

Coutinho has been a valuable asset for Liverpool since joining from Inter two seasons ago.

Gerrard believes the midfielder’s progress will attract interest from the La Liga giants and sees Coutinho joining either Barcelona or Madrid, like Suarez did in 2014.

“Philippe is wonderfully gifted and I expect him to become Liverpool’s leading player,” he wrote in his new autobiography, My Story , which is being serialised in The Daily Mail .

“Many Liverpool fans already regard him as our main man.

“He has just signed a new deal and he and his wife – who are a lovely couple – seem settled here.

“But I also know that the Spanish giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid, will come looking for Philippe in a few more seasons, just like they did with Luis.

“And that’s when it will get tricky for Liverpool because the lure to go to one of those two clubs is so strong for any South American or Spanish player.

“Until that happens, Liverpool should really treasure Philippe.”