Published 19:07 IST, April 30th 2020
Barcelona demand £87 million from Chelsea to complete Philippe Coutinho transfer
With Bayern unwilling to move for Coutinho, Chelsea have now emerged as frontrunners. However, Barcelona are holding out for a massive fee from the Blues.
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Philippe Coutinho had the world at his feet when he chose to force a move to Barcelona in 2018. Barcelona coughed up a club-record £145 million for the man the Liverpool faithful had come to call 'The Little Magician'. While Liverpool diverted a majority of those funds towards signing Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, Coutinho had an underwhelming start to life in Spain. Coutinho did feature when Lionel Messi was out injured but the Brazilian playmaker quickly found himself out of a role in the starting line-up and was shipped off to Bayern Munich on loan.
However, Bayern have made it clear that they will not sign Coutinho on a permanent deal, with Barcelona now in talks with Chelsea over a move. Barcelona reportedly want Neymar back and the defending LaLiga champions will look to generate funds by selling Philippe Coutinho in the summer. The Catalans have reportedly held talks with Chelsea and it appears Barcelona are willing to take a loss in the process.
Phillipe Coutinho to Chelsea? Barcelona demanding huge fee from Chelsea
According to Mundo Depotivo, Chelsea will have to pay a sum of over £87 million to bring Philippe Coutinho back to the Premier League. Barcelona are ready to take a loss of close to £60 million on the price they paid Liverpool for the Brazilian in 2018. However, £87 million will likely be a huge amount for Chelsea amid the financial ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic.
Chelsea have also signed Hakim Ziyech from Ajax, who will join up with the Blues in the summer. An £87 million move for Coutinho could, therefore, prompt the hierarchy at Chelsea to think twice before signing a player who typically plays in the same position as Mason Mount in a move that could hamper the youngster's progress. Newcastle have also mooted a Coutinho transfer on the back of their big £300 million Saudi takeover.
Coutinho transfer: Barcelona coach Quique Setien wants to keep Coutinho
Speaking to RAC1 about the Coutinho transfer, Quique Setien stated, "I think Coutinho is a great player, I really like him. He is still a Barcelona player. You have to pay the clause or pay a sum to Barcelona. I think he can be here at the beginning of next season. I have to talk to him to ask him." However, it is believed that Quique Setien has little say in the transfer dealings at the club.
19:06 IST, April 30th 2020