Newcastle United have opened talks with Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho, according to reports.
The former Liverpool winger has been linked with a highly-anticipated return to the Premier League after a successful stint at Anfield under the watchful eye of Jurgen Klopp.
Coutinho has a wretched first season with the Catalan giants after his £142m transfer to Spain in January 2018 and was loaned out to Bayern Munich as a result, who have no intention of securing the 27-year-old on a permanent basis. This is despite having scored 95 goals in 391 appearances for six different clubs.
This leaves his future up in the air but the Magpies have wasted no time in throwing their hat into the ring.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Steve Bruce’s side have opened discussions with the Brazil international regarding a possible move to Tyneside in the future.
Would you bring Philippe Coutinho to Newcastle?
Yes
No
Of course, this sort of move will hinge on whether the controversial owner Mike Ashley sells the club for £300m to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). But from what we know, this has been thrown into serious doubt after The Guardian revealed that the World Trade Organisation will say that Saudi Arabia and the PIF were responsible for it, which could influence the Premier League’s decision during the owners’ and directors’ test.
I’m sure every Newcastle supporter would adore seeing Coutinho in a Magpies’ shirt, but unfortunately, we currently have bigger fish to fry regarding the issues in the board room and the prospective new owners.
If the deal goes through, it will totally transform our status as a football club, and make these sort of deals more likely going forward, which means a better chance of us challenging for league titles and trophies.