Two obstacles remain as Barcelona allow exit for £100m Man Utd target

Oli Fisher

Barcelona are ready to allow Philippe Coutinho to leave the club this summer but have set a £100million price tag, a report claims.

Coutinho’s £142million move to Barcelona has not all gone to plan, despite the Brazilian midfielder scoring against Manchester United in the Champions League this month.

Rumours of a return to England refuse to go away, with United themselves keen on taking the playmaker back to the north of England.

Reports in Spain even claimed that Chelsea have also identified Coutinho as the ideal replacement for Real Madrid bound Eden Hazard.

However, that would of course be dependent on the outcome of their appeal against FIFA’s decision to impose a transfer ban upon them.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Barcelona have told interested suitors that the Brazilian is available, but it will take a nine-figure sum to prize him away.

Two obstacles stand in the path of a possible departure for Coutinho: the first being his €120million asking price, with the Catalan giants wanting to recoup as much of their initial outlay as possible.

The second hurdle to be overcome is the player’s salary, which is close to €14million per season, a demand that Coutinho is not willing to lower.

 

 

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