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What's the story?
According to reports from Sky Sports, Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho has rejected a season-long loan move to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
In case you didn't know...
Coutinho signed for Barcelona in the 2017/18 winter transfer window for a fee believed to be in the region of £140 million. The Brazilian, despite an impressive start to life at the Nou Camp, soon found himself out of favour under manager Ernesto Valverde, who preferred utilising the more direct and pacy Ousmane Dembele on the flanks.
Moreover, rumours about the Blaugrana looking to re-sign Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain began to gather steam and coupled with the arrival of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid earlier in the summer, the writing appeared to be on the wall for Coutinho.
The Brazilian was quizzed about his future while on international duty with Brazil and did his best to quell rumours of his exit.
"I have a contract with Barcelona, it was always my will to succeed in this club. Many things that come out in the media are simply not true but as for my future we do not know what is going to happen, that is the truth."
The heart of the matter
Coutinho has been linked with several clubs these past few weeks, with Tottenham emerging as the frontrunners for his signature. However, he has rejected the chance of joining them on a season-long loan deal.
Both Barcelona and Coutinho are believed to be keen on a permanent move rather than just a loan deal.
The former Liverpool midfielder had a disappointing campaign last time around, managing just five goals in 33 appearances in the league.
What's next?
Coutinho has also been linked with a move to Arsenal, although the Gunners have since refuted those rumours.
The English transfer window closes soon and it's increasingly unlikely that Coutinho will be returning to the Premier League.
The Brazilian might be forced to look at other options if he is indeed keen on a Barcelona exit.
