Arsenal seem to have reignited their interest in signing Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona in the summer – as per reports.
Initially, along with Chelsea, Arsenal too were keen to make a move for Coutinho but eventually had to back out due to the hefty wages of the player.
Now though it seems Barcelona have given a lot of relief to all the interested clubs with reports they are ready to listen to a lot of options.
Obviously they are ready to sell him off permanently but along with that, the Catalans are also ready for a loan deal where the interested club will only have to pay the Brazilian’s half salary.
This second option seems to have really caught the attention of Arsenal since right now Philippe Coutinho earns £290,000 per week at the Camp Nou and half of it, is something the Gunners can easily afford.
Philippe Coutinho to Arsenal: Will it finally happen?
This fresh interest from Arsenal will be a big setback for Chelsea who are reportedly pretty close to agreeing on a deal for the player.
But all said and done, we do not see the playmaker moving to the Emirates in the summer.
While Arsenal can afford to pay half of the player’s current salary but Barcelona are eager to add a mandatory buying clause into the deal which will most certainly put them off.
On the other hand, Chelsea are not only capable of paying the salary for Philippe Coutinho but can also take the gamble of a permanent transfer since the Stamford Bridge outfit have money to spare.
Arsenal badly need a top-quality playmaker for the next season but the reality is that Arteta also needs players in other departments as well. So we do not think, the manager will risk signing Philippe Coutinho and then be stuck with him for one whole year.
Hence as things stand, Arsenal might have shown an inclination towards the Barcelona misfit but still, Chelsea remain the favourites to sign him at the end of the season.
