Fresh from a triumphant campaign with Bayern Munich, Philippe Coutinho is preparing for his return to Barcelona and reports said the Brazilian is set to define his future. The Barca man will meet with new Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman and it's expected that the meat of the discussion is to answer the question: What's next for Coutinho?
Coutinho's return to Catalonia is in stark contrast from his departure in 2019 for a loan deal with the Bavarians. The winger failed to impress in Camp Nou so he was sent to Germany and later marked for offloading.
But the picture now is entirely different. The 28-year-old won three titles with Bayern and those honors include the Champions League. Also, Coutinho came off the bench when his side clashed with Barcelona and he scored two goals to contribute on the 8-2 hammering of the La Liga giants.
Coutinho said he looks forward to a better campaign next season but admitted he remains unsure where his landing spot is.
"I haven't thought about this. I have to go back and I want to work hard to have a great year ... I don't know if [it will be] in Barcelona," Goal reported the playmaker as saying.
Recent reports have indicated that the Barcelona outcast is headed for a return to the Premier League and he is likely to join up with Arsenal. The English club's interest was likely due to Coutinho's impressive showing last season - he scored 11 goals for the Germans and arranged for another nine goals to be completed.
And it was suggested too that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has a plan that will allow Coutinho to realize his potential on the pitch.
However, the upcoming talks between Coutinho and Koeman could lead to a different scenario for the Brazilian. It is almost certain that Bayern will not re-sign the player but it seemed that the new man in charge of Camp Nou has a new plan.
The Sun reported that Koeman will attempt to talk Coutinho into staying with the Catalans, an idea that Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu had recently hinted. The club chief said Barcelona's new coach will decide on Coutinho's fate during the season break.
It would seem that Koeman's decision is to make Coutinho stay. Apparently, the new manager was impressed with the player's style as Koeman did play against him while coaching Everton and Southampton.
Coutinho saw his best form playing for Liverpool and the same report said Koeman is convinced he could motivate the midfielder to perform the same way playing for Barcelona next season.
