Philippe Coutinho Offered to Chelsea

Philippe Coutinho is linked with Chelsea, as Barcelona allegedly offered the Brazilian to the London-based club. Coutinho is not in the first plan of the Catalonians, while on the other side, numerous clubs would want to sign one of the best playmakers in the world.

Right now, the Catalonian team is trying to sell the player, who came from Liverpool in 2018 for more than $180 million. At the time, he was considered to be arguably the best midfielder in the world, and the Spaniards believed that he might be a perfect sidekick for Lionel Messi. However, that didn’t happen. It is why Blaugrana desperately seeks a potential buyer, and Chelsea might be the one.

Philippe Coutinho is nearing a move to Chelsea, according to Sport. pic.twitter.com/rZYE02M7Tb

— GOAL (@goal) April 22, 2020

The Blues’ primary option for this transfer window is Jadon Sancho. The current Borussia Dortmund winger is a massive fan of the club from Stamford Bridge, but that might not be enough to sign for them. Manchester United wants to give as much money as needed, and for the moment, Chelsea allegedly can’t follow the Red Devils.

It is where Coutinho comes into the equation. Barcelona is willing to accept far less cash for the Brazilian than they paid him, and that is something which suits well for Chelsea. They can afford this expense, and the player would be an excellent addition to their squad too.

Coutinho is currently on loan in Bayern Munich, and he is playing well, but the sources from Germany are suggesting that the club won’t be exercising his buyout clause, which is around $120 million.

“Why is [the transfer] not decisive? This is a difficult question,” said Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern’s chief. “I think he played well in some games, while in others, he gave the impression of being a little inhibited.”

The Germans know that Barcelona is low on finances and that the Spaniards will accept lower offers, which is why they started with such talks. Bayern doesn’t want to spend more money than needed and is already now indicating that there won’t be an activation of the buyout clause. On the other side, this strategy might spoil their plans because it gives a chance to other teams to jump in and take Coutinho.

So far in 22 Bundesliga games, the player netted 8 times and had 7 assists, but what is noticeable is that he slowed down after the New Year. Some link this with the change of coaches, as Hansi Flick replaced Niko Kovac.

Chelsea will lose Willian, Pedro, and Giroud, meaning that they simply need to add some attacking midfielder. So they are in a pretty clear spot here, Sancho is the primary choice, and if that fails, they will turn attention towards another player, Coutinho among others.

As for Barca, they want money. Lautaro Martinez is worth around $130 million. Selling Coutinho, Dembele, and maybe even Griezmann would raise funds for this idea. There is one other plan of Blaugrana, and it is far more complicated than this one, and it involves Neymar.

The club doesn’t have enough money, but if there is any chance of landing the former player, they will be aggressive on the market in intention to sell all the above-mentioned guys, and maybe some others too.