Lionel Messi urges Barcelona to sign Philippe Coutinho over Mesut Ozil due to concerns over Arsenal playmaker's age and inconsistency
- Barcelona star Lionel Messi does not want the Catalan club to sign Mesut Ozil
- The Argentine would prefer to sign Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho instead
- Messi is thought to think Ozil is too old and too inconsistent for Barcelona
Barcelona star Lionel Messi has urged the club to sign Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho over Mesut Ozil.
The Argentine has reportedly told manager Ernesto Valverde and club president Josep Bartomeu to prioritise the Brazilian over concerns about Ozil's frequent dips in form.
The Arsenal wantaway will be out of contract in the summer and could leave Arsenal for free, four years after signing for £42 million.
Lionel Messi has told Barcelona to sign the younger Philippe Coutinho over Mesut Ozil
Liverpool frustrated the Catalan club in their pursuit of Coutinho during the summer window
According to the report from Diario Gol, Messi is keen for the club to sign a young midfielder and believes Ozil, 29, is too old.
He would prefer to wait until June to sign Coutinho, 25, rather than settle for Ozil in January.
The Catalan club are seemingly in the market for an attacking midfielder and were frustrated in their previous pursuit of the Liverpool man.
The Anfield club dug their heels in during the summer to prevent their talisman from leaving for the Nou Camp, rejecting offers in the region of £100 million.
Messi believes Arsenal star Ozil is too old and does not trust the German's consistency
Messi plays a pass during Barca's Champions League draw with Juventus on Wednesday
Barcelona had been eyeing up a £17million swoop for Arsenal playmaker Ozil in January but may have to reevaluate their plans.
It seems Valverde is set on bringing in another world-class player after the departure of Neymar in the summer.
And, with Andres Iniesta nearing the end of his career, it seems the Catalan club are still weighing up who to bring in to replace him.
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