Philippe Coutinho could soon be back to the Premier League this summer if a deal between Chelsea and Barcelona works out. The playmaker is currently on loan with Bayern Munich and reportedly was given the go signal to return to England at the end of the season.
From Germany, the Brazil international will likely move back to the Premier League, where he last played during the 2017-18 season with Liverpool. Coutinho switched to Camp Nou in 2018 for a transfer fee of £110 million but only stayed with the Spanish giants for a year, purportedly for falling short of expectations.
His loan spell with Bayern is coming to an end in a few months and according to Mirror, Coutinho has been cleared to join up with interested clubs in England. It is believed Tottenham and Chelsea are racing to win the signature of the midfielder.
Reports said Barca will want to cash in on the interest generated by Coutinho from elite clubs in Europe despite failing to impress both in La Liga and Bundesliga. It is said Barcelona will do a mini-rebuild in the summer and will sell key players to fund acquisition targets like Lautaro Martinez, Neymar, and Antoine Griezmann.
If Chelsea and Barca come to an agreement, Metro said the former will simply take on the previous deal between Bayern and Barcelona. That would mean Coutinho will join the side of Frank Lampard also on a loan contract and the terms from his previous spell will be carried over for the most part.
Preliminary talks have been conducted and the initial agreement calls for Chelsea paying a fee of £15 million per season for the Brazilian star. The report said the deal will be reviewed every season and the English club will cover the salary stipulated on Coutinho's contract with Barcelona.
While it is understood that the negotiations between and Chelsea and Barcelona are in a ramped up stage, there is still a chance that Barca will still entertain offers from other clubs. As mentioned, the Spurs have already expressed interest.
Or Coutinho could find his way back to Italy as Inter Milan, also a former club of the midfielder, appeared ready to make a bid as well.
Reports said it's possible too that the Brazilian will work to secure a spot in Camp Nou after his loan spell in Munich. In the event that Coutinho stays with the Spanish giants, the Blues will be forced to look elsewhere and Lampard is thought to be looking to land Timo Werner from RB Leipzig and Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.
