Philippe Coutinho makes Liverpool phone call after five Premier League clubs contact Barca

Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho is wanted by five Premier League clubs.

Posted Saturday, April 25, 2020 by Express.co.uk

Philippe Coutinho makes Liverpool phone call after five Premier League clubs contact Barca
Philippe Coutinho reportedly called Liverpool over a potential summer transfers (Image: GETTY)

Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho reportedly got on the phone to Liverpool as soon as Bayern Munich made it known that they were not going to make his loan deal permanent.

The Brazilian was sent to the Bundesliga side this season after failing to light up the Non Camp following his £142million move from Liverpool in January 2018.

Barcelona have offered the 27-year-old to a host of Premier League clubs and five have apparently registered an interest.

Chelsea have been strongly linked with taking Coutinho to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

Spanish publication Sport claim north London sides Tottenham and Arsenal have also asked to be kept abreast of the situation.

Leicester and Everton are also serious contenders to strike a deal with the Catalan side.

However, Coutinho would prefer a return to Anfield and he tried to be reunited with Jurgen Klopp.

But the Reds turned down the opportunity to resign the playmaker so he now faces a difficult decision.

Sport claims that Leicester is one of the most plausible destinations for Coutinho because manager Brendan Rodgers signed him from Inter Milan when he was in charge of Liverpool.

The Foxes are third in the table and are on course to secure Champions League football which is a big plus.

Everton are also in with a decent chance after appointing legendary manager Carlo Ancelotti midway through the season.

The Toffees also have a strong relationship with Barcelona having signed Lucas Digne, Andre Gomes and Yerri Mina in recent years.

It is claimed Premier League sides will be given three options to wrap up a deal.

The first would be to purchase Coutinho outright for £79m - which would be a struggle for most sides especially given the coronavirus pandemic.

A second option is a loan deal similar to what Bayern had in place this year, although that is Barca's least preferred stance.

The final choice is one which Everton would reportedly be keen to do; an initial loan with a mandatory purchase clause which would ease cash flow in the short term.