Arsenal and Tottenham could have an advantage when it comes to signing Philippe Coutinho this summer, according to Sky Sports‘ Kaveh Solhekol.
The Brazilian has struggled to make the grade at Barcelona, having joined from Liverpool back in January 2018.
He is currently on loan at Bayern Munich, but Barca are expected to sell when he returns in the summer and they apparently value him at around £100 million.
Speaking on a transfer Q&A on Wednesday, Solhekol claimed that Arsenal and Spurs are two of the potential options to sign Coutinho, due to his agent Kia Joorabchian having good contacts at the north London clubs:
Philippe Coutinho’s agent has a big job on his hands. Barcelona want to sell him this summer. He is on loan at Bayern Munich but they are unlikely to make the move permanent.
Barcelona want more than £100m for a player who will be 28 in the summer. That means there will be little resale value for any interested clubs.
Coutinho’s agent Kia Joorabchian has good contacts at Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs. A move to those clubs is possible, but Barcelona would have to drop their asking price dramatically or it would have to be a loan with an option to buy deal.
Read Arsenal Verdict
While Coutinho’s stock may have dropped in recent years, he remains a fantastic footballer with plenty to offer.
Arsenal admittedly have more pressing areas of the pitch to improve upon, such as centre-back – Samuel Umtiti is seen as a possible summer target – but the former Liverpool man could make the Gunners an even bigger attacking force.
With Mesut Ozil’s future up in the air, the 27-year-old could replace him, providing the flair that saw him score 41 Premier League goals, showing he can thrive in English football.
Coutinho may feel this is his last chance to shine at a top club, as he approaches his 28th birthday, giving him an extra incentive to become a hero at the Emirates.
He became a world-class footballer at Liverpool after not excelling for Inter Milan – he could do the same at Arsenal after a similarly tough spell in Spain.
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