Philippe Coutinho open to Premier League return after falling out of favor at Barcelona under Xavi - Reports
According to reports, Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho is open to joining Premier League side Newcastle United next year. The midfielder has accepted that his stint with the Catalan club is coming to an end.
Newcastle United are reportedly interested in bringing the Brazilian back to the Premier League in January.
(@elnacionalcat)
🚨 Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho could join Newcastle United in January. He has changed his mind because he does not expect to feature under new manager Xavi Hernandez.
#Transfers
Coutinho joined Barcelona in 2018 from Liverpool for a fee of up to £142 million. However, he has failed to make an impact with the Catalan club. He has scored 25 goals and made 14 assists in 103 appearances for Barcelona across all competitions.
He even scored a penalty in Barcelona's 3-1 win over Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday. However, it is reported that Coutinho is not in manager Xavi's future plans.
Barcelona, who are going through a financial crisis, would also like to get Coutinho's wages off their books.
Reportedly, Coutinho is more interested in returning to the Premier League than any other league. Newcastle United recently became the richest club in world football after the PIF takeover. It could be a great opportunity for Coutinho to resurrect his career while also maintaining the big bucks he currently earns.
Barcelona hoping for a come-back with Xavi Hernandez
Earlier this month, Barcelona announced the signing of club legend Xavi Hernandez as their manager after sacking Ronald Koeman.
Since taking charge, Xavi has led Barcelona to two wins in La Liga. However, he faces an extremely tough situation in the Champions League after a goalless draw against Benfica midweek. The Catalan club will have to defeat Bayern Munich in Germany in their final match to have any hope of progressing to the knockout stage.
However, in the three matches, there have been glimpses of the return of the tiki-taka style of football. Xavi, as a player, mastered this art and led Barcelona to numerous accolades.
For the first time this season, Barcelona has won two league games in a row.
Xavi ball 👀 https://t.co/9HTSJCq0i8
It remains to be seen how far Xavi can help Barcelona improve this season. With limited resources at his disposal, transfer market decisions will also be key to their revival.