KEY POINTS

  • Barcelona is expected to add new players in the January transfer window
  • Philippe Coutinho is likely to be loaned out to Arsenal
  • Several clubs are also keen on signing Coutinho

Barcelona is well aware that the club needs to be able to fix its finances in order to sign players in the upcoming transfer window.

Since the departure of Lionel Messi, Barcelona has yet to find a player who can really fill his shoes.

The Catalans have another chance of finally landing one in the January transfer window, but they need to offload some high-earning players on their current payroll. Among them is Philippe Coutinho.

To date, Coutinho is still the highest-paid Barcelona player, having set a record transfer move from Liverpool in 2018.

After several campaigns of failing to make a huge impact, Barca is now ready to let him go, Sport Witness reported, providing a screenshot from Sport’s printed edition of the story.

According to the report, Coutinho’s agents are aware of the “seriousness” of the situation as well as Barcelona’s “imperative need” to send him elsewhere next month.

Barca’s sporting director Mateu Alemany is already in constant contact with Coutinho’s representatives Giuliano Bertolucci and Kia Joorabchian, who has close ties with English Premier League club Arsenal, the report said.

As things stand, the report noted that Barcelona and Arsenal are now “working” on a potential deal, with the Gunners believed to be keen on signing the Brazilian to add depth to their midfield.

“There is time and a lot of predisposition to reach an agreement between all the parties. It is not easy because the investment that the clubs must make is very high, but everyone is clear that Coutinho could yield much more there than here,” the article read.

It was also emphasized that Barcelona’s priority at the moment is to save half of Coutinho’s salary, and the club is “going to put all the facilities in the world” to let him leave on loan with or without an option to buy.

Philippe Coutinho
Coutinho welcomed Neymar's potential return to Barcelona. In this picture, Philippe Coutinho of FC Barcelona reacts during the La Liga match between Malaga and Barcelona at Estadio La Rosaleda, Spain, March 10, 2018. Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images

Aside from Arsenal, Coutinho’s agents are also “managing the interest” from other big-name clubs from across Europe, per Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo.

The report stated that a return to Liverpool is also being considered, while other Premier League clubs such as Everton and Newcastle United as well as reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan are also in the conversation.

After his remarkable season with Liverpool in the 2016-17 season, Coutinho has never managed to continue where he left off.

This season, he has not completed a single assist and only scored two goals in 16 matches for Barcelona.