Out of favour Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho could reportedly be offered an escape route in the summer by French champions Paris Saint-Germain.

According to a report from Spanish publication Sport, Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho could be on his way out of the club this summer, with PSG set to offer him an escape route from his ordeal at Camp Nou.

Coutinho joined Barcelona from Liverpool in a club-record £142 million deal in January 2018, but hasn’t been able to live up to the lofty expectations placed on his shoulders. Till date, the 26-year-old has made 76 appearances for the Catalan giants, netting 21 goals and assisting just 11 more.

The 2018-19 campaign saw Coutinho come up with a meagre return of 5 goals and 2 assists from 34 La Liga matches. The Brazilian spent most of the season as the second choice behind Ousmane Dembele and failed to make the most of the chances that came his way in the latter part of the season following the Frenchman’s injury.

Coutinho has been at the receiving end of a lot of flak from the Barcelona supporters and the club too have run out of patience with their record signing and are open to the possibility of cashing in on him in the summer transfer window, in order to fund moves for other targets. He has attracted interest from the Premier League with Chelsea emerging as a potential destination.

PSG bound? (Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images)
PSG bound? (Photo by Pau Barrena/AFP/Getty Images)

And now, PSG too have joined the list of clubs keen on signing Coutinho. The French champions have been admirers of the Brazilian for a long time and had even made an attempt to sign him from Liverpool in 2017 only to be rebuffed by the Reds. However, their wishes of signing him could come true this summer.

According to the report, Coutinho is open to a switch to PSG, given that he will be joining up with international teammates Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Neymar. Les Parisiens have a difficult relationship with Barcelona, but enjoy a good relation with Coutinho’s agents Kia Joorabchian and Guliano Bertolucci, which would come in very handy in their pursuit of the midfielder.

With Chelsea facing a transfer ban, PSG have an edge in the race for Coutinho. The fact that Barcelona are keen on signing Neymar in the summer transfer window also increases PSG’s chances of landing Coutinho, with the La Liga champions considering using the 26-year-old as a makeweight in their attempt to bring Neymar back.

As things stand, there is a strong possibility that Coutinho’s time at Camp Nou could be coming to an end. With Barcelona open to a sale and the player also ready to move on, a sale could very well happen. What remains to be seen though, is if the 26-year-old ends up at PSG or returns to the Premier League.

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