Former Chelsea star Frank Leboeuf has warned Frank Lampard against attempting to sign Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona.
Brazilian playmaker Coutinho is being heavily linked with a move away from Barcelona, just 15 months after arriving at the Nou Camp from Liverpool.
Coutinho thrived at Anfield but struggled to force his way into the Barca first-team before being sent on loan to Bayern Munich last summer.
Chelsea are believed to be interested in signing Coutinho this summer but Leboeuf has warned Lampard against a move.
He told ESPN: ‘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.’
Leboeuf, who played more than 150 games for Chelsea between 1996 and 2001, added: ‘How do you reverse the system?
‘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.’
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from Football – Metro https://ift.tt/3aRg68w
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