5 realistic destinations for Philippe Coutinho
When Philippe Coutinho moved to Barcelona from Liverpool in 2018, he was hailed as the successor to Andres Iniesta's throne. The Brazilian had long dreamed of a move to the Catalan club and finally secured a switch to the Camp Nou two years ago.
However, things have not gone according to plan. The 28-year old struggled to fit into then-manager Ernesto Valverde's system and was shipped out on loan to Bayern Munich last summer.
Although his loan with the Bundesliga champions has been extended till August, it seems unlikely that the Bavarians will sign him on a permanent deal. With a return to Barcelona on the cards, we look at five realistic destinations for Philippe Coutinho.
#5 Leicester City
One club that has been persistently linked with Philippe Coutinho is Leicester City. The Foxes' manager Brendan Rodgers knows the player well, having coached him at Liverpool. It was Rodgers who brought Coutinho to Liverpool from Inter Milan in 2013.
While it would be a surprising move, it would make sense. Their current attacking midfielder James Maddison has been linked with a move away. Manchester United and Manchester City have been admirers of the England international for some time now.
Coutinho would slot in seamlessly into that no.10 role, bringing creativity and quality into that role. However, the issue here is the finances involved. Leicester will surely have to break the bank to fund a move for the Brazilian, and then they would have to offer him astronomical wages as well.
Given the Foxes' astute transfer business over the years, the deal seems unlikely, to say the least.
#4 Arsenal
A club that could benefit from having someone like Coutinho's talent in the team. Arsenal have struggled for some time to create from the middle of the field. The Gunners depend on the likes of Granit Xhaka to find the forward pass from midfield. Xhaka is an excellent passer, but Arsenal could do with someone more creative.
Mesut Ozil used to be that player but is no longer a starter at the club. It seems that Arsenal are doing everything they can to let go of Ozil, but no club is willing to pay the wages that he has at the London-based club.
Coutinho, just like in Leicester's case, would add creativity to the attack. However, what he would also do is reduce the burden on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's shoulders of carrying the Gunners' frontline.
His arrival could also ease the pressure on Nicolas Pepe. Having said all that, Arsenal must sell Ozil to deal with Coutinho's wages.
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