If you were hoping for a swift and (very) happy ending to the never-ending Philippe Coutinho saga, I’m afraid you’d be mistaken – as it looks like Tottenham are the reason for Barcelona’s hefty demands. has gone away from the fragrance.
It seems the rest of Europe, not just La Blaugrana and Coutinho, is eager for a result to be one of the biggest stories of 2020, as the Catalan giants remain steadfast in their efforts to push through any sort of departure.
However, if they are to get rid of him they will need to lower their asking price, at least in Tottenham’s case.
Mundo Deportivo report that Spurs have cooled their interest as Barca put a monumental €100m price tag on Coutinho’s head. Jose Mourinho is a known admirer of his talent – to the extent that he can imagine his place – but he and the club cannot commit to such a fee.
And if you thought a loan might be on the cards, that too, as far as Spurs are concerned, appears to be off the cards. Barça will demand a €10m loan fee, as well as needing to buy Coutinho at the end of any loan.
His salary will also need to be addressed, which Bayern Munich are aware of having paid €8.5m on a season-long loan as well as covering his full wages.
Philippe Coutinho is interested in joining Tottenham. / D Foodie Images/Getty Images
It’s no secret that Coutinho favors a return to the Premier League, but there are concerns in the Tottenham camp that the high wages he will command will cause unrest among the rest of the squad and result in other wage packets. There will be an increase.
It has been claimed that Coutinho would be in favor of a move to north London, although it is a fair assumption at this stage that he will take almost anything he can get. There were talks about a move to Spurs last summer but they broke down again due to financial differences.
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