Arsenal have been linked with the signing of Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho after the former Liverpool star became available for transfer, with the wheels of a potential deal turning.<\/p>\n
Former Liverpool strongman and Barcelona misfit Philippe Coutinho has reportedly moved one step closer to joining Arsenal after Mikel Arteta gave the nod of approval to pursue a transfer for the Brazilian striker. The former Liverpool star’s agents are allegedly travelling to London for further talks with the Gunners amid speculation of a return to the Premier League, with Arteta supposedly keen for Arsenal on the deal. Coutinho left England in January 2018 when Barcelona paid an head-turning \u00a3142million for his services.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately things had not shaped up according to expectations for both the Blaugrana and for the 29-year-old, whose time in Catalonia has been besieged by injuries, the constant changing of managers and a sudden loss of form. And Coutinho has now been linked with a move to Arsenal with Spanish newspaper Sport\u00a0claiming that the Brazilian’s entourage are headed to the English capital, with the hope of receiving a ‘firm loan offer’ from the Gunners.<\/p>\n
Fichajes<\/em> reports that Arteta responded to his superiors with ‘a resounding yes when approving the arrival’ of Coutinho, despite there being no lack of creative talent at the Emirates. It is also alleged that the north Londoners would only have to stump out part of the midfielder’s mega-money wages, with Barcelona still contributing to his \u00a3150,000 per-week salary.<\/p>\n Coutinho is now already serving under his fourth permanent manager since making the move to the Spanish league almost four years ago, besides also having also been sent out on loan to Bayern Munich, where he surprisingly did commendably well. His fourth boss in question is Barca legend Xavi Hernandez, who has to date handed the playmaker only one start since taking the Camp Nou hot seat.<\/p>\n Despite having publicly praised Coutinho, Xavi has also suggested that the former\u2019s issues when it comes to finding consistent form are more mental than physical.<\/p>\n “Coutinho is someone who can play in various positions and he can be important for the team,” the Blaugrana manager explained in November.<\/p>\n “He needs to re-find himself and recover his confidence. If he does, he will help us a lot. He has an innate talent.”<\/p>\n Xavi added: “It depends on him [to deliver]. He will get chances because he’s a player I like personally.<\/p>\n “It’s more psychological than anything because he has talent.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"