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According to Xavi Campos of Catalunya Radio, a respected source for Barcelona insider news, Philippe Coutinho has told the Catalans that he wishes to remain at Bayern Munich after his loan deal expires. This is despite the Brazilian seeing a decrease in playing time since Hansi Flick took over as coach. However, the Bavarians themselves have not yet decided whether they want to keep Coutinho beyond the end of this season.
Here’s the full update on the situation:
ELS PLANS DE COUTINHO
— Club de la Mitjanit (@ClubMitjanit) February 10, 2020
️ @XaviCampos:
"La seva intenció no és tornar al Barça. Ha fer saber a Barça i Bayern que el seu desig seria continuar a Munic"
"El Barça va demanar què pretenien fer i el Bayern els va dir que encara no havien pres cap decisió"#ClubMitjanit pic.twitter.com/xIU6EPDeJd
THE COUTINHO PLANS
@XaviCampos:
“His intention is not to return to Barça. He has let Barça and Bayern know that his wish would be to continue in Munich”
“Barca asked what they intended to do and Bayern told them they had not yet made a decision.”
As with the James Rodriguez saga, we know that the Bayern bosses will wait until the very last moment to decide whether to exercise their buy-option. However, with the fee rumored to be around €120m and Coutinho’s high wage demands, it’s very unlikely that the club will choose to keep the Brazilian beyond the duration of his loan.
It’s a sad situation for the guy, because unlike James Rodriguez, Coutinho has been professional throughout duration of his loan. Instead of pining for Madrid every chance he gets, he actually seems to enjoy being in Munich.
However, the problem is that he just doesn’t fit the team tactically. Coutinho isn’t a true winger, and he’s not as good as Thomas Muller when playing in his preferred position at attacking midfield. In games against big teams like Borussia Dortmund, Schalke, and Leipzig, the coach usually prefers other players over the Brazilian, and it’s easy to see why.
So what does the future hold for Coutinho? Well, reports indicate that Barcelona are ready to drop their asking price to €90m to help sell the Brazilian. That’s still way too much for Bayern to want him, but other clubs might be interested in a deal. Coutinho should be looking for a club where he can go and resurrect his career — heading to Italy or going back to England may be the most viable options at the moment.