Philippe Coutinho drawing interest from Premier League clubs

Former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho is being linked with a move back to the Premier League this week, after a disappointing year and a half with Barcelona.

It surely has not been an easy 2 years or so for Barcelona’s Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho. After becoming a talisman at Liverpool, he fled the club for massive Barcelona in a ridiculously inflated £130 million transfer in January 2018.

While Coutinho thought he was upgrading clubs, Barcelona collapsed in the Champions League during both of his seasons there, with this years collapse coming against his old club, Liverpool.

While the Reds have gone onto thrive without Coutinho under Jurgen Klopp, competing for the Premier League like never before and winning the Champions League for the first time in a decade, the Brazilian continues to rot at Barcelona, unable to make the impact expected of him, surely envious of Liverpool’s success without him as well.

This has led to intense rumours about his departure, as he hasn’t been able to fit himself into Valverde’s tactical setup, as Coutinho thrives mostly as a number 10, which is a position that hasn’t really been used by Barcelona. This has forced him out onto the wing, where he isn’t nearly as effective.

Coutinho, who is currently at the Copa America with Brazil, recently told reporters that he isn’t sure whether he will be continuing at Barcelona. This comes in the midst of interest from Manchester United and even transfer-banned Chelsea, who both see him as a player they can build around in the coming years.

"“I don’t know if I will continue at Barcelona…Nobody knows about the future, and right now I am focused on playing with my [national] team [at the Copa America].” – Philippe Coutinho"

The Brazilian scored twice in Brazil’s opening win in the Copa America against Bolivia earlier this week, as he aims to fill the hole that Neymar has left in the Selecao XI.

Coutinho has previously noted that he would avoid a move to Manchester United out of respect for Liverpool, which could make a potential move very difficult. Chelsea of course would only be able to make this move if their transfer ban gets lifted, which is looking increasingly unlikely.

Liverpool could also end up being back in the fold for Coutinho, as rumour has it, both sides are interested in a reunion – this however, would prove to be very difficult, especially with Coutinho’s price tag.

Unless interest comes from elsewhere, it’s difficult to see Coutinho making a return to the Premier League this summer, but one thing is for sure: things are not working out at Barcelona, and he may need a change of scenery sooner rather than later.