View: Everton can sign Philippe Coutinho at cut-price deal
Barcelona are prepared to sell Philippe Coutinho for a fee of £7.5m in the January window, with Everton reportedly keen for his signature.
The Sunday Mirror (02 January, page 67) has reported that any potential move is currently hanging in balance as Barcelona want a definitive answer by Wednesday.
Arsenal, Newcastle United, and Leicester City are also looking to sign him, but the Gunners want him on loan, with a view to a permanent deal for around £5m.
The report didn’t mention Everton as suitors, but The Daily Mail reported earlier this week (01 January) that the Toffees are also in the race. They have been given the chance to sign the Brazilian this month.
The Catalan giants want a direct transfer, and if they can’t agree a deal, the attacking midfielder will be sent on loan to Brazilian clubs.
The offer is on the table from Spain to make Coutinho his second signing of January after Vitaly Mykolenko was signed on Saturday.
Alan Myers of Sky Sports suggested yesterday (01 January) that the Toffees are looking to sign two or three players after signing the Ukraine defender.
Ideally, Everton would want to sign Coutinho on loan, but Barcelona’s take-or-leave offer could force them into rethinking their strategy.
The price set by Barcelona are well within Everton’s budget, but his £200k-per-week wages could be a big obstacle in pulling off the deal.
Coutinho, hailed by Jurgen Klopp as ‘world class’ has got loads of Premier League experience, and at 29, he still has plenty of football to offer – there’s a gamble worth taking.
At the same time, he hasn’t played much in recent years, and there are better options elsewhere. However, after Barcelona’s latest stance, Everton do now have a chance to sign him at a cut-price deal.
In other Everton news, Mike Parry has slammed the Everton board, calling them “shambolic”.