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Barcelona 'forced into Philippe Coutinho U-turn'

Barcelona 'forced into Philippe Coutinho U-turn'
© Reuters
Barcelona are reportedly considering keeping hold of Philippe Coutinho this summer due to potential buyers being unable to afford their asking price.

Barcelona have reportedly been forced to consider keeping hold of Philippe Coutinho due to a lack of potential buyers for the midfielder.

A number of Premier League clubs have been linked with moves for the 27-year-old, who is currently on loan at Bayern Munich but is unlikely to stay with the German champions beyond the end of the season.

Coutinho remains Barcelona's record signing at £134m, but he is deemed surplus to requirements at Camp Nou and the Catalan giants were considering cashing in on him when the transfer window reopens.

Chelsea were considered the front-runners for the Brazil international, but The Mirror reports that the coronavirus outbreak will have an impact on Barcelona's ability to sell.

Barca had been hoping to recoup at least £70m by selling Coutinho, although the market for such an expensive transfer is unlikely to be there due to clubs' financial issues.

Coutinho has played 32 games across all competitions this season, scoring nine goals and creating eight more.

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Philippe Coutinho in Bundesliga action for Bayern Munich on February 29, 2020
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