It seems that the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t stopping major European soccer clubs from negotiating about certain arrangements. At the moment, the English powerhouse Chelsea and Barcelona are in talks over the Brazilian superstar Philipe Coutinho.
Chelsea Pushing Hard for Coutinho
The Blues want Coutinho, who would be one of the vital pieces of Frank Lampard’s new Chelsea. The 27-year old is currently on loan at Bayern Munich, where he plays excellent, but still far away from his true potential.
Chelsea is in the process of reconstruction, and the Blues will most definitely make most of their works during the upcoming summer. It is expected that several first-team players leave Stamford Bridge, which is why Lampard and the management want to secure their replacements.
Coutinho is one of the priorities. Christian Pulisic, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund at the start of the season, didn’t fit in during his rookie campaign. Now, having in mind that Willian’s contract is expiring at the end of the year, new forward is a necessity for Roman Abramovich’s club.
The Brazilian appeared in 32 matches for the Bavarians across all competitions, scoring 9 goals and assisting 8 times. He was especially noticeable in the Bundesliga, scoring 8 times and assisting on 6 occasions in 22 games. Bayern was excellent in the Champions League, where Germans won in all seven contests, with Coutinho as the essential part of Hansi Flick’s crew and the playmaker of the team.
Chelsea, meanwhile, needs one creative and offensive-minded player up front, and the Brazilian suits them perfectly. Apart from knowing how to run things on the field, he is a superb striker for one midfielder, and Chelsea is desperate to diversify its options when it comes to executing.
Bad Episode in Spain
As mentioned before, Coutinho is on loan from Barcelona, where he arrived from Liverpool, after a spectacular transfer worth €160 million. He would force his way out of Anfield, ruining his solid relationship with the fans and the organization.
However, it turned out that his move to Spain didn’t end as planned, because Coutinho played just 76 times since joining in January 2016, scoring 21 goals and posting 11 assists. It was obvious right from the start that the wasn’t playing at the expected level, and as time went by, the pressure of the public grew, which was too big of a burden for the Brazilian.
According to the sources from the European press, Barcelona would be satisfied with €80 million, which would come quite handy for the Spaniards in these hard times.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s position before the summer transfer window would be much more relaxed if they close the deal soon. Already now, Coutinho draws plenty of interest from several sides, among them Chelsea’s city rivals, Tottenham and Arsenal. Also, it seems that for now, Bayern is satisfied with the way the 27-year old performed, and they too could enter the race. They would obviously have a jump start compared to all other sides because Coutinho wouldn’t have to prove anything if he stays at the Allianz Arena, as he already established himself as the leader.
