This Philippe Coutinho to Newcastle United rumour isn’t going away.
And according to Mundo Deportivo, the Magpies have already asked questions about bringing the Barcelona playmaker to St James’s Park this summer.
Newcastle are still waiting for the Premier League to greenlight the £300 million takeover that could, in theory, elevate the club to a new level entirely in terms of spending and subsequent achievement going forward.
The North-East side have also been linked to hiring Mauricio Pochettino or Rafael Benitez as Steve Bruce replacements.
And according to Mundo Deportivo again, both would welcome Coutinho ‘with open arms’ and that he’s being considered a ‘serious option’ by the club.
The former Liverpool playmaker, who played under Pochettino at Espanyol, is valued at around £80 million by Barca following a disappointing two-and-a-half year stint at Camp Nou, having signed in the winter of 2018 for £142 million.
Even with Saudi money at their back, Newcastle won’t be able to sign off on £80 million transfers for quite a while, so it seems plausible that if Coutinho does wind up at St James’s Park, it’ll be a loan agreement to begin with.
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