According to a recent report by Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo, Premier League giants Manchester United are set to face off against Chelsea in the hunt for the signature of Brazilian international midfield star Philippe Coutinho.The former Liverpool man is currently plying his trade at the Allianz Arena for Bayern Munich, where he is a part of a loan deal from his parent club Barcelona. The report suggests that the aforementioned Premier League duo are both keen on bringing the Brazilian back into the English game.
The report claims that Barcelona are looking to offload Coutinho in an attempt to fund the potential summer transfer of Neymar back from Paris Saint-Germain. Lionel Messi’s dissatisfaction in Neymar’s absence at the club is quite visible to see, and it’s safe to say that the Catalan giants often bend to the Argentine veteran’s fancy. It has been suggested that the Blaugrana even have a plan B in place if they’re unable to sign Neymar, which would then involve Inter Milan’s Argentine strike sensation Lautaro Martinez.
What Is Manchester United’s Midfield Situation?
The Red Devils have one of the weaker rosters of midfielders among all the teams in the conventional Premier League top six, and this is without considering Paul Pogba who is out injured. The Frenchman’s absence in the final third has been apparent to see in the lack of creativity in most of United’s attacking play. Also, names like Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira seem to be getting more and more frustrating by the day, thereby questioning their places in the side.
On a more positive note though, the resurgence of young Scott McTominay could be extremely useful for this United side that have been lacking a bit of grit and mettle in the middle of the park. Brazilian midfielder Fred is another player who’s really come good for Ole this season. With that said though, it must be conceded that the catalyst for all the success that United enjoyed over the last couple of months was undoubtedly Portuguese star Bruno Fernandes. The youngster has added a dash to creativity to this fairly balanced United midfield line, and allowing him to play alongside a man like Paul Pogba could result in amazing feats.
Why Manchester United Must Beat Chelsea To Coutinho This Summer?
The Manchester club have a plethora of top-quality players in their ranks, but in the long-standing absence of the main man Marcus Rashford, goals and assists haven’t been too easy to come by. As mentioned earlier, Fernandes has taken things up a couple of notches at Old Trafford. Still, the addition of a player like Coutinho would carry this Manchester United squad to the next level.
Coutinho is a player who needs no introduction, and any fans even remotely interested in the Premier League would likely have heard his name before. The Brazilian’s spells at Barcelona and now Bayern Munich can’t be branded as successes by any stretch of the imagination. While the midfielder has struggled for form in Spain and Germany, his exploits in England are the stuff of legend, and adding his sheer quality to the front-line will surely be a smart decision by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
