Philippe Coutinho is having a difficult time at Barcelona with Brazilian midfielder is struggling to convince Camp Nou regulars of his worth, so he could be heading back to the Premier League, with Manchester United showing keen interest.
The 26-year-old only joined Barcelona last January from Liverpool but is one of a number of key figures to have been linked with a move away from Barcelona this summer.
Coutinho’s future at Barcelona was called into question amid reports in Spain which suggested he was unhappy from a lack of playing time and was considering his long-term future at the club.
Reports indicate that Manchester United are readying themselves (six months early) to splash the cash for Philippe Coutinho in the summer.
Barcelona will want to make back as much of the £140 million they spent on the Brazilian to bring him over from Liverpool.
The Spanish giants had, however, told Manchester United that the Brazilian international was not for sale this summer.
“We expect a lot from Coutinho, we don’t want to sell him, he’s one of the good players we want to have. There is no risk of Jordi Alba leaving, when two love each other so much in the end they understand each other,” Barcelona club president Josep Maria Bartomeu told Marca.
Also linked with a move to Old Trafford is Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini.
According to Italian press, United, along with Arsenal and Chelsea, are at the front of the queue to sign the 22-year-old who is said to have a £27m release clause in his current contract. Pellegrini has started just nine Serie A games this season although started for Italy in the UEFA Nations League in September.
Pellegrini is an academy graduate of Roma, having joined the club in 2007, and made his senior debut in 2015. He departed for Sassuolo later that year where he made over 50 appearances across all competitions before returning to Roma in July 2017.