Chelsea Favourite To Sign Coutinho After Contacting Barcelona

Chelsea are now the favourite to sign former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho who is currently on-loan at Bayern Munich from Barcelona.

Coutinho made a big-money move from Liverpool to Barcelona in January 2018, but struggled to failed to meet expectations during 18 months at the Nou Camp. 

Also Read: NFF Shuts Down All Football Activities For Four Weeks

He was therefore shipped out by then-Barca boss Ernesto Valverde to Bayern, but according to Spanish outlet AS, a move back to England with Chelsea could be on the horizon.

The report details that Chelsea have already sounded out Coutinho’s parent club Barca about a move as well as the player himself to find out his intentions. 

With winger Willian out of contract at the end of the current campaign, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is on the look out for acquisitions in the attacking areas.  

It looks as though Coutinho will not be in the first-team fold at Barca next season too, under new manager Quique Setien. 

The coronavirus outbreak is making it difficult for top European clubs to plan for the summer transfer window, as it looks increasingly likely the season will overrun into June and July. 

Fixtures in every top European league have been postponed until at least April 3 due to the scale of the COVID-19 crisis. 

Meanwhile, Coutinho has played an important role for Bayern this season as they have fought their way back to the top of the Bundesliga. 

The 27-year-old has made 22 appearances in the German top-flight, with eight goals and 15 starts in total. 

Currently, Bayern are four points clear at the top of the table from Borussia Dortmund, with nine games left in the domestic season.

During his spell at Barcelona Coutinho won the Laliga in the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019, Copa del Rey in 2018 and Spanish Super Cup also in 2018.

At Liverpool he made 152 appearances and scored 41 goals from 2013 to 2018.