Barcelona outcast Philippe Coutinho could finalize his exit from the Catalan and head back to England. The Brazilian will end his loan spell at Bayern Munich in June and his next destination is said to be with the Premier League club. There are a number of possibilities but Chelsea has emerged as the top candidate.
Upon learning that Bayern will not make Coutinho a permanent acquisition, the Blues started talking with the Barca side and the likelihood a deal will be finalized soon on the player's selling price of £89 million. The price tag is a big discount from the £142 million the Catalans had paid when the midfielder switched from Liverpool in 2018.
According to Talk Sport, Chelsea leads the race over other Premier League rivals such as Arsenal, Tottenham, and Manchester United but negotiations are still ongoing on the pricing set by Barcelona.
"The Blues are believed to be unwilling to match Barcelona's £80m valuation, but remain hopeful the Spanish giants' desire to bring in other players could work in their favor," the report said.
It is known that Camp Nou is working to secure the signature of Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez and the huge valuation attached to the Argentine striker is forcing the Catalan side to raise money that will fund the purchase.
Blues boss Frank Lampard is optimistic that the terms on dealing with Coutinho would be flexible because of the reports that Barca is hard-pressed for cash, made even worse by the financial pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
At the same time, Lampard is convinced that the Brazil international will prove the perfect fit for Chelsea's needs. The plan for the team manager is for the 27-year-old to be at the center of the campaign to compete with current Premier League top clubs - Liverpool and Manchester City.
Yet, according to Barcelona boss Quique Setien, Coutinho remains a Barcelona player and hints "he can be here at the beginning of next season."
Setien described the Brazilian as a great asset for Camp Nou and admitted that the player's continued stay in Spain would greatly depend on his decision. The manager said he would schedule a meeting with Coutinho to ask for the player's plans next season.
And he made clear that selling the midfielder could be considered seriously depending on the offer made by interested clubs.
"He is still a Barcelona player. You have to pay the clause or pay a sum to Barca," Metro reported Setien as saying.
The coach added: "I think Coutinho is a great player, I really like him."
