Barcelona outcast Philippe Coutinho is long-rumored to exit from Camp Nou but his fate now rests on the incoming manager of the Spanish club. Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu confirmed that Netherlands boss Robert Koeman is taking over from Quique Setien and the new coach has the final say on player's status.
The Barca chief said that upcoming roster changes will be up to Koeman, and one of the things that he will need to deal with is the case of Coutinho.
The Brazilian spent the last season as a loan signing with Bayern Munich and the Germans have already made clear that Coutinho will not be signed permanently. It remains unknown if the position will stand as the midfielder figured prominently in the Champions League showdown between Barcelona and Bayern Friday last week.
The Bavarians hammered a convincing 8-0 win against the Catalans and to add insult to injury, Coutinho came late into the game and scored two goals plus one assist.
The winger will see his deal with the Bundesliga champions ending in the coming days and he is set to return to Barcelona. Bartomeu said it's possible that Coutinho will remain and wear the club shirt again but it's a decision for Koeman to make.
"The head coach will make the decision ... If he wants him to continue, next year he will play with us," The Mirror reported the executive as saying.
The president hinted too that changes will be made by the new head coach and players will either stay or head to the exit door. Bartomeu named what he called as "untouchables" or Barca players that will not be moving away anytime soon.
He recited familiar names such as Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele, and Antoine Griezmann but Coutinho is not on the list. It indicated that that Brazilian could move out soon but the questions on this matter can only be addressed by Koeman.
While Bartomeu seemed open to Coutinho sticking with the Catalans, Kia Joorabchian, the 28-year-old's agent, has already stated that his client has plans to move elsewhere and the preferred destination is the Premier League, per the report from Goal.
It would be some sort of a homecoming for the Brazilian as he saw his career flourished in England with Liverpool. Speculations are rife that Coutinho is a signing target of several English clubs with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham as among those prominently mentioned.
The Gunners though seemed to be on the lead to allow Coutinho's return to the Premier League with several reports recently suggesting that the player is inching closer on signing a loan deal with the Emirates.
