Philippe Coutinho wants to leave Barcelona, and Barcelona want Philippe Coutinho to leave. That’s pretty much established fact at this point, after the dream move that the former Liverpool man fought so hard for, and that Barca paid so much for, turned into a disaster.
Chelsea have been considered front runners for some times, given they should be in a solid position to sign him, at least on loan, despite the impending financial chaos in the market.
Sport in Catalonia now have now added two names to the hat however – Everton and Leicester.
Both are actually very good shouts to at least attempt a move. Both are just outside the top tier of Premier League sides, looking to sign players to help them break in – not just in terms of ability, but also in terms of PR.
They also both have managers who could persuade the Brazilian it’s a smart move, in the form of Carlo Ancelotti and Coutinho’s former boss Brendan Rodgers.
If Chelsea decide they’ve got better options available, and Barcelona still want to do anything they can to get their expensive mistake off the wage bill, a loan to one of those two seems extremely feasible now.
They may not be Coutinho’s preferred destinations, but he’s running out of options fast.
