Nightmare for Barcelona as Superstar is Ruled Out For the Rest of the Season

- Philippe Coutinho's hopes of returning to action this season dashed

- The attacker has undergone another operation to correct issues in his knee

- Coutinho has not played for the Catalans since last December during Eibar's 1-1 draw

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Barcelona attacker Philippe Coutinho will not be available for selection for the rest of the ongoing campaign.

The 28-year-old Brazilian was said to have undergone another surgery in a bid to correct the 'meniscal cyst' in his left knee.

Coutinho has been out of action since last December after suffering a knee injury during Catalans' 1-1 draw against Eibar.

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The former Liverpool star was said to have gone through an operation in the New Year with the hope of staying on the sidelines for about three months.

Reports claim Ronald Koeman was already expecting him back in the squad before encountering a major setback according to SunSport.

The Nou Camp outfit reveals that their player has gone back under the knife, having failed to recover from the initial procedure.

And this is yet another nightmare for the forward who was signed in 2018 in a deal around £145 million from the Reds.

Following his failure to hit the ground running in Spain, the Brazilian has been to Bayern Munich on loan and he played a part in their Champions League triumph last season.

However, the Bundesliga champions turned down the option to sign him permanently which led to his return to his parent club. He has since then become one of Koeman's key players until his injury about four months.

The publication recalls that Barcelona made attempts to get rid of the star who earns £250,000-a-week from their wage bill but his heavy wages have kept Premier League clubs away from him.

His surgery means he will miss crucial games as Barca are locked in a three-way battle with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid for the title.

They take on Real in the El Clasico on Saturday before a Copa del Rey final with Athletic Bilbao.

Barcelona are one point adrift of league leaders Atletico with Real Madrid a further two points behind them. Coutinho is also likely to miss Brazil's Copa America campaign due to kick off on June 13.

Legit.ng earlier reported that Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman is hoping he can convince Ousmane Dembele to extend his stay at the Nou Camp.

The Frenchman has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United this summer despite having a deal with the Catalans until the summer of 2022.