Former Liverpool star lined up for dramatic Everton move
Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Everton - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - February 20, 2021 Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp and Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti before the match Pool via REUTERS/Phil Noble EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Liverpool versus Everton is one of the bitterest rivalries in British football.
They are barely one mile apart from each other and they have competed over 237 times, with the first ever Merseyside Derby taking place over 130 years ago in 1894.
Since the formation of the Premier League in 1992, there have been 23 red cards when the red and blue of Merseyside face off, and every game invokes plenty of drama, passion and entertainment.
It is a fierce rivalry and very few players don both the red of Liverpool and the Blue of Everton in their careers; in fact only five players in Premier League history have played for both.
However, this could soon change as former Liverpool playmaker and current Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho has emerged as a shock transfer target for Everton, according to The Sun.
Coutinho scored 54 times in 201 matches for Liverpool.
Coutinho made 201 appearances in a five year spell at Anfield before joining Barcelona for a massive £142 million in the 2017/18 January transfer window.
However, the Brazilian’s move to the Nou Camp has not gone to plan, with the 28-year-old struggling to find his form and consistency.
He was sent on loan to Bayern Munich where he did win the treble, however a knee injury scuppered any permanent move to the Bavarians.
He has made only 12 appearances for the Catalans term season and with Barcelona reportedly in debt to a region of over 700 million Euros, it is likely they will be keen to move the midfielder on to raise funds.
A move to the Toffees could see him form a dream partnership with James Rodriguez, and with Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the end of any deliveries from the South American magicians, Everton could be a real force in the Premier League.