Former Liverpool winger Steve McManaman says he would like to see Philippe Coutinho return to the club if a deal can be agreed with Barcelona at the end of the season.

The Brazilian is currently on loan at Bayern Munich but despite having a purchase option on the playmaker, it is felt that the Bundesliga champions won’t sign him up to a permanent deal unless his form improves.

McManman thinks re-signing Coutinho could be realistic if Barca are willing to lower their demands, and manager Jurgen Klopp can offload both Xherdan Shaqiri and Adam Lallana:

“I wouldn’t mind seeing Coutinho back. He’s a brilliant player but a lot of it is just down to economics. If they can bring Coutinho back for a reasonable fee and potentially sell a couple of players who aren’t playing regularly, then that could work.”

“There are rumours that Xherdan Shaqiri may leave at the end of the season, and Adam Lallana may want to play more often. If there’s space available then I’d certainly like Coutinho back, as he was a wonderful player for Liverpool.”

Lallana’s contract will expire in the summer, and so the midfielder will need replacing, but Shaqiri’s future is far less clear cut. The Swiss international was not allowed to leave on loan last month but would reportedly be sold if a club meets the club’s £25m asking price.

Even so, there is no guarantees that Liverpool would be keen on re-signing Coutinho, considering his struggles at both Barcelona and Bayern.