Chelsea are hopeful of landing Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho in the summer as they are resigned to losing Eden Hazard to Real Madrid after the season ends.
The Eden Hazard transfer saga could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel with Real Madrid now the clear favourites to land the Belgian superstar in the summer. According to a report from Calciomercato, Chelsea could be in line for a sensational move for Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho as a replacement for Hazard in the summer and are ready to make the transfer happen.
Hazard has, time and again, proved he is the best player at Chelsea. This season the Belgian has scored 10 goals and assisted a further 10, leading his club’s stats chart. His consistent form over the years had seen the Belgian linked with a big money transfer to Real Madrid, and massively so last summer when the Champions League holders sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.
However, with Madrid failing to replace the Portuguese, they are ready to make amends in the summer window. Los Blancos now want Hazard, who will have only one year left on his current deal at Chelsea, having reportedly rejected the idea of extending his contract at the London club, despite being offered astronomical wages.
Even Maurizio Sarri recently stated he is willing to let Hazard leave, meaning Chelsea will now lend their focus on signing a high profile replacement for their superstar. Their search has taken them to Camp Nou where Philippe Coutinho’s situation at the Spanish Champions has attracted Chelsea’s interest.
The Brazilian, who signed in a record £142 million deal this time last year, might be allowed to leave the club at the end of the season after some underwhelming performances for the side. Coutinho’s time at Barcelona hasn’t gone exactly as planned, leaving the player unhappy and the club looking to cash in on the player in the summer.
The Brazilian will definitely not come cheap as Barcelona will be looking to recoup a majority of the transfer fee they paid Liverpool last January. Meanwhile, Chelsea will demand as much as £100 million for Hazard which could also enable them to spend that money in full or even more than that sum on Coutinho.
Hazard has courted Real Madrid’s interest and has been quite confident of crossing the line over to the Spanish capital. Reports of Hazard agreeing personal terms with Los Blancos have also been floated, although nothing official happened during that period. However, the deal could finally happen next summer, paving the way for Chelsea to bid for Coutinho as his replacement.
Coutinho has been a man in demand, with a return to the Premier League high on the cards. There is also considerable interest from PSG, who want to play him alongside Neymar. Barcelona were also reportedly ready to offer Coutinho as part of a deal to land Kylian Mbappe, meaning Chelsea have to dig deep to convince the Brazilian to return to the Premier League.
Coutinho still has plenty to offer, despite his dip in form at Camp Nou. A move to Chelsea as Hazard’s replacement would make sense as he has plenty of traits to match the Belgian’s feats. The problem for Chelsea would be the subsequent interest in the Brazilian if he is put up for sale, with Manchester United and PSG also lurking. It remains to be seen how this saga unfolds.
