LONDON, United Kingdom, Dec 27 – Brazil midfielder Paulinho has encouraged his compatriot Philippe Coutinho to make the move and leave Liverpool in order to sign for Barcelona.
Paulinho joined Barca from Chinese outfit Guangzhou Evergrande in August and has been relishing his football with the Catalans, scoring six goals in 16 La Liga appearances this season.
The 29-year-old has now revealed that he wants to see long-time Barcelona target Coutinho to take the plunge and join him at Camp Nou.
“I advise him (Coutinho) to be calm, to leave anxiety on the side. I also went through that moment when I was in China,” Paulinho told Spanish paper Mundo Deportivo.
“Keep calm and get it right. You have to think about the decision you are going to make.
“What I think is that if (Coutinho) has the opportunity to come here, he won’t regret it.
“He has a way of playing that everyone appreciates, both in Liverpool and Brazil. He is a very fast player, very agile, with a unique technique, which gives many options for those who play in the center of the field.
“He provides many pass options and also looks for free spaces to place the ball and go to goal. His high quality and technique are the factors that makes the difference.”
He added: “Now, I just have to encourage him (to leave Liverpool) so the transfer can happen.”