It seems that Chelsea are going all out this summer to acquire some top targets in order to give them a fighting chance of silverware in 2020/21, but Arsenal are also in the hunt for a target for whom Barcelona will help fund a switch.
Philippe Coutinho doesn’t seem to have a future at the Camp Nou, and with Bayern Munich also apparently not keen to purchase the player after an unsuccessful loan spell, a return to the Premier League appears to be the most viable option at this stage.
Metro cite reports that the Catalans had initially wanted a €10m loan fee as well as the Brazilian’s €250,000 per week salary covered, figures that the Gunners weren’t prepared to meet.
However, the Daily Telegraph now suggest that Barca are willing to pay part of his wages in order to get him off of the books for another season.
With Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United also reported to have been offered the player, per Metro, it’s clear that despite his evident skill set, Barcelona would rather cash on him to some extent.
If he’s able to hit the heights he did whilst at Liverpool in a league he knows well, then there’s no reason why, at the end of any further loan, Coutinho will have earned himself a permanent move.
Whomever is willing to take that chance could therefore bag themselves a bargain.