Philippe Coutinho could be a last minute signing for Arsenal this summer, but any deal won’t be happening soon, according to Bleacher Report.
There were claims in Spain in AS Sport that Arsenal were in advanced talks for the £240,000-a-week Brazilian playmaker (The Sun) this week and he could follow Willian to the Emirates Stadium.
However, it seems that those reports may have been slightly premature, as Arsenal still have plenty of work to do to get a deal done.
Arsenal may be waiting until the latter part of the window to try and negotiate a deal which is more favourable for them.
Barca are known to want to sell Coutinho, but they appear to have limited interest in the playmaker, so playing the long-game could actually be a smart strategy from the Gunners.
Arsenal may be able to negotiate a loan deal where they only have to contribute a small amount to his wages, or even land him cheaply on a permanent deal, if it gets to a point where Barca become desperate to offload him.
If Coutinho was to join Arsenal he could be an exciting recruit, even if he hasn’t been at the top of his game in the last two years.
Coutinho was one of the standout players in the Premier League last time he was playing in England, and he would add a great deal of creativity to Arsenal’s side.
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