Chelsea have reportedly stepped up their interest in sealing the transfer of Barcelona misfit Philippe Coutinho in the last few hours, according to Spanish outlet Don Balon.
The Brazil international has had a difficult time since joining Barcelona from Liverpool last season, not looking quite the same player that lit up the Premier League during his time at Anfield.
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Don Balon reference interest from Manchester United in Coutinho as well, though they state the Red Devils are only willing to pay around €80million for the 26-year-old.
That most likely won’t be enough to persuade Barca to sell, given how much they spent on signing Coutinho in the first place.
Chelsea’s need may be greater, however, as Don Balon note that Coutinho could be an ideal signing for the Blues to replace Eden Hazard amid ongoing doubts over the Belgian’s future at Stamford Bridge.
Coutinho would no doubt do a job at United as well, though, as a much-needed upgrade on Alexis Sanchez.
It will be intriguing to see how this saga develops, with clubs seemingly not ready to pay over the odds for the struggling player, but with Barcelona surely needing to accept an offer sooner or later.