Chelsea’s relative lack of on-field success in recent years has already seen Frank Lampard spend big this summer and one of the many names they continue to be linked with is Barcelona star, Philippe Coutinho.
Reports from Spanish news outfit Marca claims that Barcelona are ready to off-load Coutinho this summer, in a bid to reduce their wage bill. He could be available even on a loan this summer.
Arsenal and Manchester United are also showing interest but should Chelsea make a move for the Brazilian?
Recent Success
Having failed to settle in at Camp Nou, it looked like Coutinho’s career was going down the wrong path after leaving England but the former Inter Milan man has won loads of trophies in his last couple of seasons.
Coutinho now has two La Liga titles to add to the treble he won with Bayern recently. He was not a regular in the first team in Germany but managed 11 goals and nine assists in 22 starts for the club in all competitions.
A gifted playmaker, who can produce moments of magic with the ball at his feet, Philippe Coutinho is not only adept at creating chances but is also effective with his dribbling. He is a hard man to mark in the final third and his ability to test the keeper from range only makes him that much dangerous.
He has in the past scored outstanding goals for every club he has played and at 28, he is currently in his prime and will be a huge asset for most clubs in Europe.
Barcelona are desperate to get him off the books and reduce their wage bill but Coutinho will not be available on the cheap and Chelsea may have to spend big to land him on a permanent deal this summer.
Philippe Coutinho: The Right man for Chelsea?
Though he struggled in his time at Camp Nou, Coutinho has hardly put a foot wrong in Germany. He was used in an attacking midfield role or on the left flank at times and the Brazilian more often than not, put in impressive performances.
But Chelsea are set to land Kai Havertz, who is expected to do a similar job in the side next season. Chelsea’s new attack could see Christian Pulisic, Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner as the front four, leaving very little space for Coutinho in the starting XI.
The Brazilian might be better suited for Lampard in one of the attacking roles, but signing him for big money, only as a squad player, makes very little sense for the Blues.
The likes of Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham are expected to act as backups for first-team stars in attack and signing Coutinho could hamper the trio’s growth as well.
Coutinho is a match-winner and one of the best in his role in Europe. But at the moment, he is not a necessity for Chelsea, unless they miss out on their prime transfer targets, which seems unlikely at this point.
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