Barcelona paid the third-highest transfer fee in the history of football to acquire the services of Philippe Coutinho. However, it is fair to say that he failed to settle in at the Camp Nou and was allowed to join Bayern Munich on loan this season. Munich have the option to sign the player permanently for £120m (Daily Mail) after the season ends. After his excellent start to the season, one would think that the club management would be thinking about a permanent deal for the Brazilian.
Bayern club chief on making a permanent move for Coutinho
However, as things stand, the final decision is not made. That is according to club chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The 64-year-old recently talked about the future of the former Liverpool player and Rummenigge said, ”We will decide about that when the right point in time has arrived.”
He might not have given much on what Bayern might do, but he went on to lavish huge praise on Coutinho.
He added, ”Philippe is a high-quality player. He is a very pleasant person, and he is very popular throughout the club. We are very satisfied with the transfer.”
Bayern Munich had to shell out a fee of €8.5m to get him on a season-long loan. Coutinho has so far contributed with two goals and three assists in seven Bundesliga appearances.
Does Coutinho have a future at Barcelona?
As things stand, we feel that Barcelona will be happy to receive the £120m for the Brazilian in the summer of 2020. Coutinho was seen as a successor to Andres Iniesta by many when he was signed but he never really managed to settle in at the club as he only had to be satisfied with sporadic appearances.
Valverde often used him on the left flank, and he was usually ineffective given that he doesn’t really have the pace of a natural winger. The Blaugrana just couldn’t find a system to accomodate him and all their other crucial players, and it probably makes sense for the club to part ways with him.
Coutinho has started his season well with Bayern, and that should be a positive sign for Barcelona. However, the German heavyweights might opt to go for Leroy Sane or Kai Havertz in the summer of 2020 and then Coutinho might be sent back to Barcelona.
That could be a significant headache for the Spanish club as we don’t see him fitting into the club’s plans anymore. All Barcelona can now hope that Coutinho can carry on with his excellent form and then Bayern might be compelled to sign him at the end of the season.
