Philippe Coutinho
Philippe Coutinho

Premier League side Chelsea have shown a keen interest in signing attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho from FC Barcelona who is currently out on loan to Bundesliga side Bayern Munich.

The player has turned out to be a major flop ever since his move to Spain and recently Chelsea were given a massive boost in their pursuit of the Brazilian when his agent claimed that Coutinho would love to return back to England.

“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,” he told Sky Sports News.

“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.”

And now the London side have received yet another boost after Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge revealed that his side have not triggered the option-to-buy clause in the 27-year-old’s contract meaning Coutinho is heading back to Spain at the end of the season.

“The option expired and we haven’t activated it,” Rummenigge told Der Spiegel magazine on Friday, as reported by Football London.

“Now we’re going to draw up squad planning internally (for next season) and we’ll see if he still has a role to play with us or not.”

Barcelona paid €145 million for his services two years ago and now they have no other option but to sell him off at a loss with some reports claiming the Catalans are willing to accept anything in the range of €75-80 million for the playmaker.

But some experts feel, Chelsea are reluctant to pay even that much for Philippe Coutinho.

The Brazilian has been really poor over the past two years, first in Spain and then in Germany which is why Chelsea might opt for a loan arrangement for the 2020-21 season with an option to buy.

While Barcelona are ready to send him out on loan as well but they want the buying option to be mandatory and not optional.

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