Chelsea enter the race for Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho
With Eden Hazard set to depart the Stamford Bridge in high probability, Chelsea will be turning to Barcelona in their quest of replacing the Belgium international.
Chelsea and Barcelona have had a lot of moments against one another on the field, including that epic clash in 2009. Even from the perspective of transfers, some star names have switched pastures and there has been a lot of business done between the two giants over the last few years.
The Blues are now looking to bring in Barcelona winger Philippe Coutinho to the Stamford Bridge, as per ESPN. The 26-year-old has flopped at the Camp Nou since registering into Catalonia and Roman Abramovich is willing to offer him an escape route from there now. Coutinho has struggled in making an impact under Ernesto Valverde and with Ousmane Dembele being in lightning form, it seems difficult for him to become a regular.
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Chelsea might have to deal with the hammer blow of seeing Eden Hazard leave while deadweight in Willian could also be sold off. While the Belgium international could be probably heading to Real Madrid in the summer, the latter has had offers from Barcelona themselves and a swap deal must not be ruled out.
As they seek to build a team for the future, the five time Premier League champions have already signed Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund, the American being set to arrive in west London at the end of this season. But their bid to construct a fully rounded squad has been hampered by Callum Hudson-Odoi’s constant links with Bayern Munich. The Bavarians are ready to give assurances. Hudson is ready to move on now that Robben and possible even Ribery are departing.
Chelsea have already set a price tag of 100 million pounds on Eden Hazard and it looks like Real Madrid will meet it, especially after the horrid season which they have endured. That helps the Blues in being financially equipped to invest money in Coutinho, more so if there is another departure or two in the shapes of Hudson-Odoi or Willian.
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Philippe Coutinho is not as good as Hazard but he can provide Chelsea with a much lethal goal scoring threat should there be a better midfielder creating for him and a striker to finish. Moreover, a lot of La Liga teams approach matches in a defensive manner against the likes of Barcelona and Madrid, but playing in an open league like the PL could benefit him.