Barcelona will push for Philippe Coutinho to find a new club in the summer, and the Brazilian's next landing spot could be the Premier League. The Catalans are offering the winger to Arsenal and Newcastle as part of the effort to raise cash for the upcoming transfer window.
The La Liga side is looking to sign Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan but short of funds due to the coronavirus pandemic. The target signing will cost big money, and one way to generate cash is the selling of players marked as surplus to requirements.
Coutinho is on top of the list as Goal reported that the Brazilian playmaker is no longer in the game plan of Barca boss Quique Setien for next season. It is understood that the Spanish giants have reached out to potential trade partners in England, but there is no word yet if any of the clubs contacted are interested.
Barcelona paid £109 million to get the Brazil international from Liverpool in 2018, but Coutinho failed to deliver to expectations. He was then loaned out to Barcelona at the start of the season and turned in a decent showing. The Bavarians, however, opted out of the option to make the 28-year-old's signing permanent.
Per the same report, Camp Nou has decided that selling Coutinho to an English club is the best option available for the playmaker. And to ensure that a deal will be sealed the soonest, the Catalans are willing to shoulder part of the Barca man's weekly salary of around £200,000.
In addition, the club is no longer expecting to recoup the whole investment made on Coutinho, said to be at £109 million. The priority is to offload the player and get the money for a successful bid on Martinez.
Mirror said Arsenal might be considering the offer from Barcelona but the North London club is more inclined to talk about a loan deal. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has already indicated a plan to beef up his squad in the summer, but it's unclear if Coutinho is on the Spaniard's hiring list.
If Barcelona agrees to another loan agreement for the club outcast, then Arsenal could consider adding Coutinho to the roster, added the report.
As for Newcastle, the club's hiring plans are deemed dependent on the looming takeover of a group from Saudi Arabia. If a new owner comes in before the start of the next season, then money should be available for big signings such as Coutinho.
The least that the Catalans can accept for a permanent deal on the attacking midfielder is said to be £70 million. If both Arsenal and Newcastle will pass up on the offer, it is believed that Coutinho is still in serious consideration by Chelsea, Tottenham, and French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
