Philippe Coutinho’s agent admits midfielder ‘would love Premier League return’ but says transfer talk must wait
Philippe Coutinho’s agent Kia Joorabchian admits the midfielder “would love to return to the Premier League”, but added that it was difficult to discuss transfers “when so much is happening around the world that is so much more important”.
Coutinho has spent this season on loan with German champions Bayern Munich after falling out of favour at Barcelona, scoring nine goals in 32 appearances. However, Bayern are unlikely to activate a purchase option in the Brazilian’s contract.
The 27-year-old, who left Liverpool in January 2018, has been linked with moves to both Arsenal and Chelsea, where Joorabchian boasts strong connections.
“The fact I’m an Arsenal supporter is not a secret,” Joorabchian told Sky Sports. “I don’t have any preference where the players go. I don’t try to push someone to one club or another. Everything is a possibility.
“After the Champions League game he played in England we had a long chat about it.
“The Premier League is something that he has always enjoyed playing in, and loved playing in, and would probably love to come back and play in.
“The question is what are going to be the financial conditions of all the clubs, including Barcelona and all the Premier League clubs at the end of this pandemic.”
Joorabchian is also currently negotiating the future of Chelsea winger Willian, with talks over a new contract understood to have stalled prior to the coronavirus outbreak.
“There is a lot of speculation but I can genuinely explain to you we have not spoken about transfers or anything like that,” Joorabchian said.
“No one has the right feeling. Neither us nor the other side have the feeling to discuss something when so much is happening around the world that is so much more important.
“I want to say how grateful and thankful I am to the people in the NHS on the frontline,” he added. “I have a lot of friends who work there and I know what they and their families are going through. They are doing an incredible job and you can’t put a value on that.”
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