Premier League sides Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were the frontrunners in signing Philippe Coutinho from FC Barcelona but now it seems like they are going to miss out.
The Brazilian has had a torrid time in the Spanish league ever since his big-money move from Liverpool and during the 2019-20 season, he was sent out on loan to Bayern Munich.
Philippe Coutinho, for months now, has been desperate to return to the English top division and the two North London sides were supposed to his likeliest destinations.
But now according to his agent, the playmaker has been given a new lease of life by the new Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman.
When asked if Coutinho is likely to remain at Barcelona, his agent Kia Joorabchian told talkSPORT host Jim White: “Yeah.
“Koeman called him right after the Champions League victory with Bayern, the following day, and told him he’s very much in his plans and would like him to return.
“He was due to return on September 7 but actually he returned at the beginning of September because he didn’t want to lose his momentum and fitness, and he’s been training with Barcelona.
“All signs point to the fact Barcelona have changed quite dramatically, the way their philosophy of how they wanted to move forward from last year and the players they’ve brought in, like Coutinho, Dembele and Griezmann they’re all going to be part of the squad this year.
“Well, you’ve got to do your job and he did his job perfectly, and it’s probably the reason why Barcelona want him back so badly.”
This will be a huge setback for both Arsenal and Tottenham since they had been chasing Philippe Coutinho for a number of months now.
Chelsea were also in the race but they have recently backed out after signing Kai Havertz which is why the two North London clubs were ready to fight tooth and nail, in order to sign the playmaker.
But now it seems like all those plans need to be flushed down the drain and the two sides will have to quickly shift their focus to an alternate signing.
