5 realistic destinations for Philippe Coutinho

#3 Newcastle United

Newcastle United have been the target of a takeover bid

This one is a bit of a stretch. Much of Coutinho moving to Newcastle United will depend upon whether the £300 million takeover by a Saudi Arabia-led consortium takes place or not.

A lot has been made of the impending Newcastle United takeover and some top-class players have been linked as a result. Some names that have been mentioned are Kylian Mbappe, Gareth Bale and Kalidou Koulibaly.

Philippe Coutinho has been offered to Arsenal and Newcastle United in a bid to free up funds to sign Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan! [Goal] pic.twitter.com/AJVtXjB7DY

— Football Hub (@FootbalIhub) July 14, 2020

If the controversial takeover does happen, the new owners are said to have highlighted Coutinho as a primary target.

Akin to how the Manchester City bought Robinho in 2008 the very day Abu Dhabi United Group took over the club, the Magpies would very much like to make the same impact with Coutinho.

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#2 Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with Philippe Coutinho

Coutinho has been linked with Tottenham Hotspur for a while now. Jose Mourinho is said to be interested in the player and Spurs would like to do an initial loan deal with Barcelona.

Spurs have an abundance of midfielders. Currently, Mourinho seems to prefer Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko and Giovani Lo Celso in his midfield. However, he also has the likes of Tanguy Ndombele and Gedson Fernandes to call upon if needed.

If Coutinho does arrive, it will be interesting to see what Mourinho does with Dele Alli. The England international is highly-rated by the Portuguese and is out injured right now. However, there is no denying that Coutinho would undoubtedly improve the Spurs squad.

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#1 Liverpool

Philippe Coutinho during his Liverpool days

The most unlikely option. Liverpool sold Coutinho to Barcelona for €142 million and funded moves for Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker with that money. The two have become vital players as Liverpool have stomped to Champions League and Premier League triumphs, while Coutinho has seen his dream move collapse.

A move for Coutinho would disbalance the Liverpool midfield. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool midfielders are dynamic, disciplined players who are given specific roles to perform. Coutinho's unpredictability would disrupt that structure.

Philippe Coutinho told he has to apologise to Liverpool before they'll take him back https://t.co/1gFoqo5h3U

— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) July 12, 2020

With Xherdan Shaqiri looking to leave, Liverpool are in the market for a forward. While Coutinho would be an easy target and has been linked with a move back, it doesn't seem possible as things stand.

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