Solskjaer to pass up on opportunity to sign Barcelona outcast Philippe Coutinho

Plenty was expected from Brazilian superstar Philippe Coutinho upon his arrival at Camp Nou in 2018. LaLiga giants Barcelona shelled out a mammoth transfer fee (£105 million, which could rise to £142 million) in order to bring the Brazilian midfield maestro to Camp Nou. The Blaugrana saw Philippe Coutinho as the ideal man to replace Andres Iniesta in Barcelona's midfield. They expected the former Inter Milan player to be the perfect man to feed Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in attack as Barcelona tried to fill the void left by Neymar.

However, the move turned out to be a disaster for all parties involved, except Liverpool of course. Barcelona loaned Coutinho out ahead of the start of 2019-20 season to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich with an option to buy. However, the Bavarian giants have reportedly informed Barcelona that they are not willing to pay the €120 million required to make the deal permanent which has led to a number of Philippe Coutinho transfer rumours to emerge, linking him to top sides in Europe. 

Also Read | LaLiga would end season if Real Madrid were at the top, claims former Barcelona president

Philippe Coutinho transfer rumours

Could Brazilian midfield maestro Philippe Coutinho make a surprise move to Newcastle United?

Also Read | Lionel Messi destroys Barcelona squad in training as he gears up for LaLiga return: Watch

Philippe Coutinho transfer

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to pass up on opportunity to sign Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona

Premier League clubs such as Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United have been linked to Philippe Coutinho in recent weeks. However, reports in ESPN state that Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will not take up the option to sign the former Liverpool man in the next transfer window. Solskjaer has a plethora of midfield options to choose from at present. Bruno Fernandes, Fred, Nemanja Matic, Andreas Pereira, Juan Mata, Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba are all available for selection if and when the season resumes in the coming weeks.

Paul Pogba has often been linked with a move away from Manchester United, possibly to Real Madrid. Should Pogba move in a big-money transfer to Madrid, that could make some room available for Coutinho. Manchester United also have vast cash reserves should they choose to go after Coutinho in the unlikely event of Real Madrid coughing up big money for Paul Pogba. Barcelona, meanwhile, are reportedly desperate to offload Coutinho, as the club reels in the wake of the financial ramifications of the pandemic. 

Also Read | Ole Gunnar Solskjaer counting on Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford for Premier League restart

Also Read | Philippe Coutinho transfer: Bayern Munich won't exercise 120-million-euro option to buy Barcelona man

Premier League: Arsenal linked with shock Philippe Coutinho transfer in the summer

Also Read | Philippe Coutinho transfer: Barcelona demand £87 million from Chelsea to complete transfer