Arsenal ‘offered chance to land Philippe Coutinho in £9MILLION transfer in swap deal involving Matteo Guendouzi’
ARSENAL could land Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho for just £9MILLION and Matteo Guendouzi, according to reports. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is certain to continue a squad overhaul in the summer despite the uncertain economic times due to coronavirus. Coutinho has been strongly linked with a return to the Premier League after a disastrous spell in […]
ARSENAL could land Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho for just £9MILLION and Matteo Guendouzi, according to reports.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is certain to continue a squad overhaul in the summer despite the uncertain economic times due to coronavirus.
Coutinho has been strongly linked with a return to the Premier League after a disastrous spell in Spain.
He spent last season on loan with Bayern Munich, but his agent Kia Joorabchian has confirmed the player would prefer to return to the Premier League.
And according to The Independent, Arsenal appear a likely destination in a cash plus player move.
ARSENAL NEWS LIVE: Follow for the latest Gunners news
Arteta is desperate to offload Guendouzi after bombing him out of the squad for the final few games of the season.
And Barca are reportedly keen to consider the French midfielder as a makeweight in any deal.
But with Juventus also interested in Guendouzi, Arsenal will have to play their hand carefully.
Another option to bring Coutinho to North London would be a season-long loan.
But his £240,000 weekly wages remain the biggest stumbling block with the Gunners unable to pay the full whack, especially with no European football next season.
The 28-year-old enjoyed a successful stint with Liverpool before a £142million switch to Barcelona in January 2018.
And the player’s agent has made it no secret that a return to England would be a priority for the player.
Kia Joorabchian told talkSPORT: “Because the Champions League is going to run all the way until August 23, I think it will be difficult for players like Coutinho to make any commitment or move until that date.
Most read in Football
“He has the Champions League at the moment and they have to qualify for the next round [against Chelsea], and then he could play Barcelona, believe it or not.
“After the Champions League, it’s not been a secret that he wants to come back to the Premier League if he can; he loves playing in the Premier League and is adored in the Premier League.
“It is one of his priorities… but he is also not against staying at Barcelona, so it is very much open.”