Barcelona 'will not field Philippe Coutinho again this season'

Philippe Coutinho will reportedly not play for Barcelona again this season as the Catalan giants want to avoid paying out more money to Liverpool.

The Brazil international swapped clubs in January 2018 for a fee rising to £142m, a large part of which is made up of incentive-based clauses.

One of those payments related to the number of appearances made, which cash-strapped Barca are said to be wary of triggering.

Spanish journalist Javi Miguel, who writes for AS, claims that the La Liga side will therefore try to avoid using Coutinho between now and the end of the season.

The 28-year-old is currently sidelined with a knee injury, but he is expected to be back in action by early March - two months before the 2020-21 campaign ends.

Coutinho is believed to be seven appearances short of triggering the latest €5m (£4.36m) payout to Liverpool.