Chelsea to strike second big summer deal with capture of Barcelona misfit

Chelsea are closing in on a total agreement to sign Barcelona outcast Philippe Coutinho in the summer transfer market, according to reports in Spain.

The 27-year-old has badly struggled to live up to expectations after swapping Liverpool for Blaugrana back in 2018 and was sent on loan to Bayern Munich last summer in an attempt to boost his confidence and get his stuttering career back on track.

The South American playmaker impressed in the Bundesliga – racking up eight goals and six assists before the COVID-19 crisis brought German football to a halt – but Die Roten will not take up their option to make the deal permanent for a sum of €120 million (£105m).

This means Philippe’s future has been up in the balance but it appears the former Liverpool midfielder is set for a return to the PL over the coming months, with Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal all mooted as potential suitors.

Catalan publication Sport states the Blues have provided the most realistic escape route and Philippe is now ‘very close’ to completing a move to Stamford Bridge. The English head coach Frank Lampard views Coutinho as the calibre of player who can take the Blues back to the top of English football alongside Manchester City and Liverpool.

The report claims Barcelona are prepared to sell Coutinho for €90m (£79m) in spite of spending a whopping €160m (£140m) on the Brazil international just two seasons ago.

Chelsea are confident they can sign Coutinho for an even lower fee considering Blaugrana’s urgency to raise funds for Lautaro Martinez.

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