Chelsea are reportedly closing in on a deal to take Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho to Stamford Bridge but Barcelona insist that one clause must be inserted into the contract.
The Catalan’s giants would would prefer to sell the 27-year-old this summer but their £80million valuation is unlikely to be met. Therefore, Barca would reluctantly accept a loan deal similar to what Bayern Munich have in place this season.
However, Coutinho has failed to produced outstanding performance in Allianz Arena and the German outfit are not wanting to make the transfer permanent.
That means the 27-year-old could be offloaded to the Premier League, where Spanish publication Sport claim Chelsea are leading the race to sign him despite struggled since left Liverpool in January 2018.
The west London club would have to cover Coutinho’s £11.5m annual salary to take the playmaker on loan for 12 months.
However, Sport claim Barcelona will demand a mandatory purchase clause if inserted into the deal. The Catalan giants will apparently reduce their price tag to £53m if Frank Lampard’s side agree to buy Coutinho at the end of next season.
There are doubts over the midfielder as he hasnot found his top form since leaving Liverpool in January 2018. Barcelona paid the Reds £142m but they are willing to let him go for just over a third of the price.