Newcastle United have been linked with a move to sign Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho – but he isn’t looking to leave any time soon.
Catalan newspaper SPORT reported in October that Newcastle would love to sign Coutinho after being taken over.
However, SPORT have offered an update that may just kill off Newcastle’s hopes of a January deal.
They claim that Coutinho has absolutely no intention of leaving Barcelona in January – even if they try and push him out.
Coutinho intends to see out the season with Barcelona and then assess his future in the summer.
Coutinho may hope for brighter fortunes under new boss Xavi, but he may still find himself on the fringes just like he was under Ronald Koeman.
The Brazilian was supposed to be a huge signing for Barcelona.
Well, he was in terms of the transfer fee – Barca paid a staggering £146million to sign Coutinho from Liverpool in 2018.
However, Coutinho has flattered to deceive with Barca and may go down as their most expensive flop of all time.
Barca would love to offload Coutinho, but may face a wait.
A return to the Premier League could work for Coutinho, and Newcastle will be one of the most sensible destinations – if they stay in the top flight.
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