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What's the story?
According to SPORT (via Daily Mail), there are three clubs leading the race for the unsettled Philippe Coutinho this summer: Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.
In case you didn't know...
Phillipe Coutinho joined Barcelona in what he probably imagined would be a dream come true; however, things turned sour quite quickly and he has been on a gradual decline since then.
But why is Coutinho performing so poorly in Spain? It's not because he's simply a bad player, as what he achieved with Liverpool showcased to the world what an excellent footballer he can be, but it appears that he lacks chemistry with the rest of the team.
Coutinho continues to play in his favoured role as an attacking midfielder, but he appears to be a ghost of his former self; the puppetmaster of Liverpool's attack force is now vulnerable, looking as if he's going to lose the ball in every 50/50 challenge that he encounters. Naturally, Barca fans have had enough.
The heart of the matter
With Barcelona understood to be open to selling Coutinho at the right price, many top European clubs have expressed their interest in the 26-year-old, but the three main clubs, as revealed by SPORT, are Chelsea, United, and PSG.
However, Chelsea is currently facing a transfer ban right now, and it doesn't seem as if it's going to be lifted anytime soon. This immediately turns the attention to United and PSG, who both have huge transfer budgets, enabling them to sign whomever they so desire.
But if the rumours are indeed true, then the chances of a bidding war taking place between the two are very high. Some critics have pointed out that Coutinho might reject Manchester United straight off the bat, though, as the Red Devils are fierce rivals to the Brazilian's former club, Liverpool. If he has any respect for the club that developed him into the star he is today, then he would do well to try and avoid playing at Old Trafford next season.
Rumour probability: 7/10
The Spanish media outlet SPORT is known for being rather hit-or-miss with most transfer news stories, so this one could go either way. However, with so many established footballing websites and newspapers reporting on the same issue, it could be more than just a rumour after all.
What next?
Speculation surrounding the availability of Coutinho is set to unravel gradually leading up to the summer transfer window, and by that time, we may see a plethora of top European sides all vying for his signature. It's too early to tell what the final outcome will be, though.
