Arsenal continue to be linked with Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho.
According to The Sun, Arsenal are in the mix for Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho – and would only have to pay half of his wages.
It’s claimed that Bayern Munich don’t want to activate their purchase clause on Coutinho this summer, having blown hot and cold during his loan spell in Germany this summer.
Barca now want to flog Coutinho for around £75million or send him on loan again, and any interested club would only have to pay half of his £290,000-a-week wages.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City are thought to be interested in Coutinho, and the terms may well be appealing to Premier League clubs.
The 27-year-old really hasn’t lived up to his billing since joining Barcelona in January 2018, but his record of 54 goals and 45 assists in 201 games for Liverpool may just give English clubs hope of turning him around.
Coutinho clearly has ability, but has looked like a shadow of the player we all saw at Liverpool. Any club committing to signing him this summer must firmly believe they can get him back to his best, even though Barca and Bayern have now failed.
Arsenal would be unlikely to pay £75million, especially given the global pandemic right now, but a loan move may be more appealing, as he could bring balance on the left flank or challenge Mesut Ozil for the number 10 spot.
Those wages would though make Coutinho one of Arsenal’s highest earners even at half the price, so Mikel Arteta and co have plenty to think about if they’re serious about a move for the Brazilian star this summer.
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