Atletico Madrid have reportedly entered the chase for Philippe Coutinho, who could leave Barcelona before the summer transfer window shuts.
According to a report by Spanish outlet El Gol Digital, Atletico Madrid have joined the race to sign Philippe Coutinho before the summer transfer window slams shut. The Brazilian midfielder could be on his way out of Barcelona this year, although Los Rojiblancos could face competition from other clubs in his pursuit.
Coutinho has been on a downward spiral at Barcelona despite a dream debut upon joining from Liverpool in January 2018. Last season ended up being one to forget as well, as Coutinho suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first half of the campaign, meaning he did not get much of a chance to impress in his second chance at Camp Nou.
This summer, there has been widespread speculation that Barcelona would like to cut their losses on Coutinho, who surprisingly does not have any shortage of suitors. As things stand, it looks like the Brazilian midfielder could end up staying in La Liga even if he leave Barcelona, with Atletico Madrid keen on signing him.
The interest from Los Rojiblancos comes as a surprise, considering they have already signed a creative midfielder in Rodrigo De Paul. However, with Saul Niguez still being linked with a summer exit amid links with Barcelona, Coutinho could possibly be an option to add to the numbers in the midfield department.
Atletico Madrid, though, are not the only La Liga club that are showing an interest in ending the 29-year-old’s misery at Barcelona. Sevilla are also hot on the trails of the Brazilian midfielder, with Monchi eager to make him a key part of the first-team setup at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have also been recently linked with Coutinho, although that is because Barcelona are looking to engineer a deal wherein he could be a part of the deal that sees them land Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Finally, Lazio are also hoping to provide competition to Atletico Madrid and others in his pursuit.
What now remains to be seen is if Atletico Madrid can move quickly in pursuit of Coutinho and swoop him away from Barcelona or if some of his other suitors manage to land him instead.
