Chelsea have been tipped to sign Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona in the summer and it seems like they have moved one step closer.
The Premier League club has been trying hard to negotiate a loan deal for the ex-Liverpool man but recently there had been whispers of Inter Milan showing interest in the player.
Antonio Conte is expected to sign a number of new players before the upcoming season and chances are he could try and lure Philippe Coutinho to the club he left back in 2013.
Now though, Coutinho’s agent Kia Joorabchian has hinted that the player has always had a soft corner for the Premier League but at the same time, he has refused to rule out interest from the other clubs.
“I don’t have any preference where the players go. I don’t try to push someone to one club or another. Everything is a possibility,” Joorabchian told Sky Sports News.
“The Premier League is something that he has always enjoyed playing in, and loved playing in, and would probably love to come back and play in.
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“The question is what are going to be the financial conditions of all the clubs, including Barcelona and all the Premier League clubs at the end of this pandemic.”
This will be a huge boost for Chelsea’s hopes and it might only be a matter of time before they agree on a deal for the Brazilian.
Right now, the only obstacle is about the buying clause with Chelsea wanting an optional clause at the end of the season while Barcelona want the clause to be mandatory.
But some experts feel this small issue could bubble up into a major dilemma for Chelsea if Inter Milan were to agree to all of Barcelona’s terms.
If the Serie A side are willing to pay Coutinho’s full salary and also accept the mandatory buying clause there’s every chance that the Catalans could favour Inter Milan.
While this surely remains a possibility but we feel Philippe Coutinho is desperate to head back to the Premier League meaning Chelsea still hold a significant advantage in this transfer race.
