Brendan Rodgers makes contact with Phillipe Coutinho

Brendan Rodgers has made contact with Barcelona’s Phillipe Coutinho over a possible summer move to Leicester City, according to Sport.

The Foxes boss has been in discussion with the Brazilian playmaker, with the player reported to be very open to a transfer to Leicester.

With Barca ready to sell Coutinho for £80 million, others clubs remain in the race, too, namely Manchester United, Chelsea and Everton.

Their asking price is substantially lesser than the £142 million that they paid for him two seasons ago and no way near his reported £300 million buyout clause. Goes a long way in demonstrating as to how badly do they need to get rid of him.

He is currently on loan at Bayern Munich, where he has done reasonably well. In 32 appearances for the reigning champions, he has nine goals and eight assists in all competitions.

And that has reignited the belief that he still has it in him and can rediscover the form that led to his record move from Liverpool to Catalonia in the first place.

Leicester obviously need a versatile player like him who can play out wide as well as in the middle, but he is too expensive and a risk nonetheless.

If it does not work out well, they will have to take a loss like Barcelona to move on, which they cannot afford, simply because they are not as rich as the Spanish giants.

Leicester are better off signing someone younger and less expensive, a strategy they have been using to perfection since their promotion to the Premier League.