Ailing Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho has reportedly found himself a suitor in Premier League side Leicester City heading into the summer window.
According to a report from Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, out-of-favour Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho has registered on the radars of Premier League club Leicester City, who are mulling over the possibility of a summer move.
Coutinho signed for Barcelona in the January transfer window of 2018, arriving on a club-record deal from Premier League giants Liverpool. However, after a promising start to life in Camp Nou, it has only been downhill for the Brazilian international, who turned 29 years old this past weekend.
Having struggled massively and eventually fallen out of favour during the 2018/19 term, Coutinho spent the next season away on loan at Bayern Munich, where he showed signs of resurgence but didn’t do enough to convince the Bavarians to sign him permanently.
Back at Barcelona last summer, the ex-Liverpool ace had some decent displays under Ronald Koeman but wasn’t a guaranteed starter by any stretch of imagination before an injury late in 2020 ruled him out for the rest of the season. Having undergone two surgeries on his knee, one each in January and April, the 29-year-old is currently in his homeland, Brazil, recuperating.
Once he is back to full fitness, though, there is no guarantee that Coutinho will play for Barcelona again. The Catalans are blighted by financial problems and are looking to clear the roster in order to trim the wage bill and make some cash from player sales. And, someone like Coutinho, who is not in favour, is widely expected to be on the move this summer.
There have been links with the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham in the past, but it is Leicester City that have emerged on the scenes as a potential suitor for the Brazilian international this summer. It must be noted that it was the Foxes’ manager, Brendan Rodgers, that took a punt on Coutinho, signing him for Liverpool when he was still a budding youngster at Inter Milan.
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The report goes on to add that it is the Northern Irishman that is driving Leicester’s interest in Coutinho. It is further claimed that there have been talks of an offer of €20 million, although it remains to be seen if the Foxes do decide to come up with such a bid or look to take him on loan with an option to buy.
Coutinho is contracted with Barcelona till the summer of 2023. However, as things stand, it is quite clear that his future may lie elsewhere. Whether this leads to a reunion with Rodgers at the King Power Stadium, though, remains to be seen.
