Arsenal have agreed personal terms with Philipe Coutinho following talks with his agent ahead of a potential move from Barcelona this summer, according to reports via Football London.
Coutinho is on the look-out for a new club after Bayern Munich decided not to activate a buy option following a mixed loan spell in Germany that’s seen the Brazilian contribute 9 goals and 8 assists in his 22 starts in all competitions.
The 28-year-old has no future at Barcelona after struggling to replicate the kind of form that earned him a big-money move from Liverpool in 2018 and Arsenal have emerged as serious contenders for his signature this summer.
Sport claimed in late July that Arsenal had put forward a proposal to Coutinho’s entourage following talks with his agent Kia Joorabchian and the playmaker was mulling this over while the Gunners tried to secure European football for next season.
That was achieved following last weekend’s FA Cup final victory over Chelsea and it appears that has been enough to convince Coutinho to make a move to the Emirates as Football London are citing a report from the print version of Sport that claims Arsenal have agreed personal terms with the South American attacker.
The Spanish publication says Arsenal are now trying to thrash out a deal with Barcelona that would likely be an initial loan, possibly with the option to make the move permanent in 12 months time if things work out well.
Sport also suggested in another report that Coutinho and Joorabchian visited Arsenal’s London Colney training facility on Friday afternoon to hold further talks with the club. Journalist Layth Yousif also made this claim on Friday evening so it appears Coutinho could be edging closer to a move to north London.
The former Liverpool star is expected to formalise his future once Bayern Munich’s Champions League campaign is over but I think he’d be an excellent addition to the Arsenal squad if a deal can be done.
Mikel Arteta desperately needs to add some creativity to his team and a playmaker should be a key signing this summer. Coutinho’s career has stalled since he joined Barca but there is no denying his qualities on the ball.
The Brazilian was excellent during his time at Liverpool and knows the Premier League well, while he can also play out wide or through the middle as a No.10 so his versatility would be a very useful asset.
We’ll have to wait and see how things progress but I think Coutinho would relish the opportunity to be a focal point in the Arsenal team so I’d love to see him come to the Emirates if we could win the race for his signature.
