Philippe Coutinho could be playing with a Premier League club next season and reports said his options have been narrowed down to Chelsea or Arsenal. The latter, however, is seen as the Brazilian's likely destination because of Barcelona's supposed keen interest on Arsenal star Matteo Guendouzi.
On loan with Bayern Munich until the end of the Champions League competition, Coutinho is being shopped around by his parent team Barcelona. An offer has been made to both Chelsea and Arsenal but the former is expected to pass up on the struggling playmaker.
According to Goal, the Blues have decided to focus on bringing Kai Havertz to Stamford Bridge instead this summer, likely to save on the cash needed to pay for the expensive transfer deal. Chelsea will need to pay up Bayer Leverkusen's demand of around £90 million.
The Gunners, on the other hand, are interested in the possible contributions that Coutinho will bring to the Emirates side.
Per the same report, the Brazilian winger is seen by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta as the perfect replacement for Mesut Ozil, who was not deployed on the pitch when the Premier League games resumed in June.
If Ozil will leave in the summer, it's possible that Arteta will sign Coutinho although the exact terms of the two sides on the player remain unknown. It is also believed that the deal could be abandoned due to the high asking price by Barcelona and Coutinho's weekly wage of £240,000, both of which the Gunners are unwilling to agree on.
Meanwhile, Metro reported that Camp Nou made a new deal offer to Arsenal for the permanent signing of the Brazilian star. Emirates can get the playmaker at a discounted price if the side would be willing to give Guendouzi in exchange.
The swap deal will see Arsenal parting ways with the French midfielder but the club will still need to make a cash payment of £46 million.
It would seem that package coming from Barcelona is attractive enough for Arteta as it is believed he is planning to sell the 21-year-old anyway. Guendouzi has not been seen in Arsenal games lately due to his attitude issue.
Twice the French star had disappointed his coach during training and actual games and many are expecting that he is set to leave in time for the summer transfer window.
However, while Arteta would appreciate to see Guendouzi go, the manager is unlikely to approve the spending of big money on Coutinho, who was impressive with Liverpool but failed to live to expectations in La Liga and Bundesliga.
It appeared though that Barcelona's interest in Guendouzi is strong enough that the Catalans are willing to offer alternatives if Arteta is not sold on Coutinho. Instead of the Brazilians, Arsenal can consider any of Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal.
