Man Utd & Chelsea in battle to sign £100m South American star, club ready to sell

Managers are working hard trying to strengthen their squads during the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Man Utd and Chelsea are linked with Philippe Coutinho…

Manchester United and Chelsea are ready to do-battle with Paris Saint-Germain over the signing of Philippe Coutinho as Barcelona prepare to cash-in on the £100m attacker, according to reports in Spain via the Daily Mail.

Coutinho made a blockbuster £145m move to Barcelona from Liverpool in January 2018 after enjoying an excellent five-year spell at Anfield but his time in Spain hasn’t gone to plan as he’s struggled to live up to his hefty price-tag.

The Brazilian international has been booed by his own supporters in recent weeks following a series of disappointing performances and it’s led to speculation he’ll be forced out of the club this summer.

It looks like Barca are ready to cash-in as the Daily Mail are citing a report from Mundo Deportivo that claims the Spanish champions are prepared to cut their loses and sell the 26-year-old over the coming weeks.

The Spanish newspaper says Chelsea and Manchester United are prepared to offer Coutinho a route back to the Premier League but they’ll face competition from Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain as they are hoping to lure him to France amid rumours of a possible swap deal involving Neymar.

The Daily Mail suggest that Barcelona rate Coutinho at £100m so it will still be a huge investment for the likes of United and Chelsea but the South American remains a world class talent despite his troubles in Spain.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is gearing up for a busy summer as he looks to overhaul his squad after finishing sixth this season and Coutinho could be viewed as a potential replacement for Alexis Sanchez – who’s been linked with a move away from Old Trafford.

Man Utd obviously have the money to meet Barca’s reported asking price but it remains to be seen whether Coutinho would be prepared to upset Liverpool fans further by joining their fierce north-west rivals.

Chelsea are facing an uncertain summer due to their transfer ban but if they manage to get it suspended or overturned then they’ll need to find a replacement for Eden Hazard after he confirmed last night that he’s expecting to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.

It will be a huge blow to lose Hazard as he’s one of the best attackers in the world but Coutinho would be an excellent replacement if Chelsea could get him back playing to the standards we saw during his time with Liverpool.

READ MORE –> Chelsea transfer news | Man Utd transfer news

It’s going to be interesting to see how things develop over the coming weeks but it looks like Coutinho will be on his way out of Barcelona and he could be heading back to England with Chelsea and United vying for his signature.