Philippe Coutinho 'has no place in first team' says expert
Barcelona have told Tottenham they can only sign Philippe Coutinho on loan if they agree to pay an £8million fee and cover his wages in full. Spurs are among a raft of clubs interested in signing Coutinho in the summer along with Everton, Chelsea and Newcastle ahead of the upcoming transfer window.
According to Football Insider, however, Barca have warned all suitors wishing to sign the attacking midfielder on loan that he will not be available unless an interested party meets the required asking price and takes over his weekly salary.
That is because the Spanish champions are not only looking to make space in their squad but also want to ease up on their wage bill.
It has been previously reported that Tottenham are hesitant to meet the Brazil international's £250,000-a-week salary, which is even higher than what top earner Harry Kane makes.
Bayern Munich loanee Philippe Coutinho has been linked with Tottenham (Image: GETTY)
Spurs are also more keen on simple loan deals as well as free transfers or swaps due to the financial impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the transfer market.
Therefore, the north Londoners are highly unlikely to splash the cash the same way they did last summer when they paid a club record £54million fee for Tanguy Ndombele.
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Philippe Coutinho failed to stand out at Barcelona (Image: GETTY)
Coutinho spent the season on loan at Bayern Munich but the German champions have confirmed that they have no plans to activate the Brazilian's buy-out clause.
The 27-year-old has struggled to regain his old form at Bayern following a turbulent first full season at Barcelona, who bought him for a club record £142m from Liverpool in 2018.
The ex-Inter Milan star amassed a total of 21 goals and 11 assists in 76 appearances at the Nou Camp where he failed to stand out and live up to expectations.
He therefore moved to Bayern where he has recorded nine goals and eight assists in 32 appearances across all competitions this term.