As the 2019/20 European league campaigns hurtle towards their inevitable conclusions, both Arsenal and Chelsea will be encouraged in their potential pursuits of Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho.
The Brazilian had recently extended his loan deal with the Bavarians to see him through until the end of the season, but any notion that he might still be at the Allianz Arena in 2020/21 has taken a hit with the signing of Leroy Sane.
Not only that but the former Manchester City man has already taken Coutinho’s number for next season.
CaughtOffside understood that Arsenal were keen on exploring the possibility of acquiring the player, who has had an underwhelming time at both Barcelona and Bayern, and Chelsea were linked with the player by Sky Sports.
The Daily Mirror report that the publicity pictures of Sane’s signing didn’t feature the No.10 out of respect for the Brazilian.
“Out of respect for Philippe Coutinho, who is the current number 10 and could play in the upcoming DFB-Pokal final in Berlin and any games in the Champions League in August, Sane decided not to use the number in his photos on Thursday,” the Daily Mirror quote Bayern as saying.
It leaves Coutinho in a limbo of sorts, though Barcelona will surely be keen to offload the player to the first availably buyer and bring in some much-needed funds.