MX23RW : Friday, May 31 09:03:45| >> :60:1056:1056:

Barcelona 'forced into Philippe Coutinho U-turn'

Barcelona 'forced into Philippe Coutinho U-turn'
© Reuters
Barcelona are reportedly considering keeping hold of Philippe Coutinho this summer due to potential buyers being unable to afford their asking price.

Barcelona have reportedly been forced to consider keeping hold of Philippe Coutinho due to a lack of potential buyers for the midfielder.

A number of Premier League clubs have been linked with moves for the 27-year-old, who is currently on loan at Bayern Munich but is unlikely to stay with the German champions beyond the end of the season.

Coutinho remains Barcelona's record signing at £134m, but he is deemed surplus to requirements at Camp Nou and the Catalan giants were considering cashing in on him when the transfer window reopens.

Chelsea were considered the front-runners for the Brazil international, but The Mirror reports that the coronavirus outbreak will have an impact on Barcelona's ability to sell.

Barca had been hoping to recoup at least £70m by selling Coutinho, although the market for such an expensive transfer is unlikely to be there due to clubs' financial issues.

Coutinho has played 32 games across all competitions this season, scoring nine goals and creating eight more.

ID:397957: cacheID:397957:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2229:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Philippe Coutinho in Bundesliga action for Bayern Munich on February 29, 2020
Read Next:
Chelsea 'will not move for Philippe Coutinho'
>
Read more about Philippe Coutinho Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City38287396346291
2Arsenal38285591296289
3Liverpool382410486414582
4Aston Villa382081076611568
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs382061274611366
6Chelsea381891177631463
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle381861485622360
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd38186145758-160
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham381410146074-1452
10Crystal Palace381310155758-149
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton381212145562-748
12Bournemouth38139165467-1348
13Fulham38138175561-647
14Wolverhampton WanderersWolves38137185065-1546
15Everton38139164051-1140
16Brentford38109195665-939
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3899204967-1832
RLuton TownLuton3868245285-3326
RBurnley3859244178-3724
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd38372835104-6916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!