From Bayern Munich, Philippe Coutinho could be heading back to Spain as reports said the Brazilian star would be given a shot to prove his worth with Barcelona for at least one more season. Club boss Quique Setien is said to have the clearance to make use of the midfielder's football skills.
Coutinho has been the subject of transfer speculations by a number of Premier League clubs with Chelsea emerging as the strongest candidate to bring the Brazil international back to England. However, the terms offered by Barcelona on the player have so far failed to lead to an agreement.
The sticky point in any of the negotiations concerning Coutinho is the winger's £78 million transfer fee plus his high salary of £290,000 per week. Clubs interested in him appear to drop out when the talks veered on the financial aspect of the deal.
Metro said the best option available for Barcelona is to take the forward back and let him suit up for the club next season since "there has been little concrete interest and ... Setien is willing to give Coutinho another chance in the side."
Also, the likelihood of sending the Brazilian to a new club for another loan deal has been ruled out already. It was deemed that such a move will only further diminish Coutinho's market value, which is something that the Spanish giants are looking to avoid.
The move is seen as beneficial for both the Catalans and Coutinho. For the latter, he'll be afforded the chance to realize his dream of making good in La Liga. When that happens, Barca will surely earn the right to put a greater value on the 27-year-old.
If this new report proves accurate, former Barca technical director Robert Fernandez will be supportive of the move. Fernandez played a key part in the transfer deal that saw Coutinho jumping from Liverpool to Barcelona in 2018, and he is convinced that moving the Brazilian to Bundesliga at the start of the season was a mistake.
The former midfielder maintained that Coutinho struggles to find him form at Camp Nou because he was played in the wrong position, according to Goal.
"Coutinho has an extraordinary quality. He scores often, so I never understood why he was loaned, it is only about finding his position on the pitch," said the former club executive.
Fernandez added: "He is such a very special player. If it was my decision, Coutinho would never had left."
Earlier this week, Barca team captain Lionel Messi, along with senior players, has reportedly thumbed down the plan by his team to sell Coutinho and scored the club board for the way the Brazilian was treated.
