Manchester City are “plotting a move” for Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho, according to Adrian Kajumba of the Mirror.

The Premier League champions are currently falling well short of expectations in fourth and look set to make a major squad investment during the summer. Kajumba states that Coutinho has been “added” to the club’s list of targets and would cost in the region of £35 million. The aforementioned report suggests an increase on Coutinho’s current £70,000-per-week wages could make the move a possibility.

Liverpool fans have enjoyed watching a rapidly maturing Coutinho this season. Despite being left out of Brendan Rodgers’ starting lineup in the early stages, he has asserted himself as a match-winner.

Stunning goals against Southampton and City helped lift Liverpool to within touching distance of the Champions League places by March. He also scored the winner against City at Anfield last season, so the Sky Blues know all about his quality.

Coutinho made the difference during Wednesday night’s FA Cup quarter-final replay against Blackburn Rovers, powering home a drive inside the box to score the only goal of the game and send his team to Wembley. Although Rodgers has more explosive goalscorers at his disposal, Coutinho has a knack of popping up at the right time.

WhoScored.com summarised his terrific performance at Ewood Park:

Vice-captain Jordan Henderson commented on the goal:

City aren’t short of creative midfielders. David Silva’s form has been frustratingly inconsistent this campaign, something that seems to be catching throughout Manuel Pellegrini’s squad. John Cross and Darren Lewis of the Mirror believe City may use Samir Nasri as a makeweight in a deal to sign Juventus star Paul Pogba, and that would certainly leave room for another technical, clever attacking midfielder to join the club.

The link to Coutinho falls in place with this story in mind. He is a subtle player, someone who quietly works hard for the team and is key to spreading play in the final third. Liverpool lose their rhythm without him, while players such as Raheem Sterling have a tendency to drop out of a match if Coutinho isn’t dictating behind.

B/R UK’s Ryan Bailey and Sam Tighe previously discussed Coutinho’s importance to the team:

City’s major lure is likely to be Champions League football.

Liverpool cannot afford anymore slip-ups if they’re to finish inside the top four and quickly need to make up seven points on Pellegrini’s side. Manchester United are one point further ahead going into Sunday’s Manchester derby, so Liverpool are likely to be closer by the end of the next round of fixtures.

Coutinho has showed no public desire to leave. He doesn’t seem like he’d be the type of player who makes a fuss, but he is destined to eventually move on if Liverpool aren’t regularly featuring in the Champions League. The former Inter Milan youngster ranks among the Premier League’s more graceful stars and, intriguingly, has only just started to show what he is capable of.

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