Barcelona willing to subsidize Philippe Coutinho’s loan wages — report

Barcelona are trying to formulate a strategy that involves Philippe Coutinho and his big wages leaving the club, but there hasn’t been much success on that front. From a loan-with-obligation-to-buy to a swap-deal, every option has been pondered and yet, no one has taken the bait.

Now, according to the Telegraph, Barca are sweetening the pot even more by their willingness to pay a part of Coutinho’s wages. They are hoping that more clubs will be interested in the 28-year-old’s services if the weekly wages they had to pay were much less than the current £250,000 a week.

Clubs from the English Premier League as well as current loan team Bayern Munich could be enticed by such a deal for Barcelona’s record signing. Coutinho would reportedly welcome an extension with Bayern Munich, and although the German champions (again) are unwilling to sign him permanently, they could be more willing to accommodate him in the short-term should a move for Kai Havertz fail.

While Chelsea have been repeatedly linked to Coutinho in the past, it’s quite apparent that the interest is coming from the player’s side rather than the team’s. As long as Chelsea keep moving closer to Havertz and further away from Coutinho, we should all be just fine.