Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Barcelona attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho, who is currently on loan at Bayer Munich.
The German club are not interested in signing the Brazilian on a permanent deal, so he will return to Barcelona after his loan deal expires.
As per Mundo Deportivo, a few Premier League sides are interested in the 27-year-old, but Chelsea are his preferred choice.
The Blues have contacted the Brazilian’s agent, as have Manchester United and Leicester City, while Newcastle United are also reportedly interested. The report states that he would be available for a fee of around €80-90 million.
Coutinho moved to Barcelona from Liverpool in January 2018. After a solid start to his Barca career, his form soon faded away and he joined Bayern Munich in search of first-team football.
How will Philippe Coutinho fit in at Chelsea?
The Brazilian is a technically gifted player, who is confident with the ball at his feet. His low centre of gravity allows him to almost glide through the pitch and past defenders.
Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images
He has the ability to unlock defences with clever passes, and operates well from the position behind the striker, or on the left side of a front three.
Coutinho can pass, dribble, and shoot from distance. He often gets into double digits in terms of goal-scoring. He has racked up 9 goals and 8 assists this season in 32 games for Bayern.
The Brazilian has tons of ability on the ball and can be a threat in a team with agile forwards.
The former Liverpool attacking midfielder would be a good fit at Chelsea, who have quite a few exciting young players.
The likes of Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and the incoming Hakim Ziyech have pace and can take on defenders with their dribbling ability. All three would benefit from a brilliant passer like Coutinho, and the Brazilian could play behind Chelsea’s main striker.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has gone with a three-man midfield, or a two-man midfield with an attacking midfielder in the 2019-20 season. Coutinho could fit into either of those set-ups, playing off the left in the former formation, and behind the striker in the latter formation.
He will be a massive upgrade on young attacking midfielder Mason Mount, who has played that role in the 2019-20 season. Although Mount has been impressive, he has not been consistent enough, which has cost Chelsea at times this season.
