Philippe Coutinho ‘to remain at Barcelona’ following links to move away from Nou Camp this summer
- Brazilian attacker Coutinho is likely to remain at Barcelona this summer
- The Spanish champions had attempted to offload the former Liverpool player
- But after the English transfer deadline, a move away now appears unlikely
Philippe Coutinho appears set to remain at Barcelona this summer after the Spanish side were unable to offload the Brazilian to the Premier League.
Marca believe that manager Ernesto Valverde had been open to selling the playmaker, but is now resigned to keeping him after the English transfer window slammed shut last week.
Coutinho had reportedly attracted interest from both Arsenal and Tottenham, and it is thought that Barcelona had pitched varying potential deals in the hope of freeing up funds for a swoop for Neymar.
Philippe Coutinho was unable to engineer a move away from Barcelona this summer
Frustration has mounted at the Nou Camp over the Brazilian's below-par performances since signing from Liverpool for a fee of £142million - and the relationship between the player and supporters may be damaged beyond repair.
But it was also in Barcelona's interest to sell Coutinho for financial reasons too, after the Spanish champions had set their sights on sealing Neymar's return from Paris Saint-Germain.
A switch to the French giants could still provide the 27-year-old an escape route however, with Ligue 1 sides able to bolster their squads until September 2.
Although there would be competition for Neymar's signature from Real Madrid, Barcelona could be open to including Coutinho in any negotiations with PSG for the mercurial superstar.
The relationship between Coutinho and the Barcelona supporters may be beyond repair
The Blaugrana outcast still holds a good standing in Europe, which the Spanish outfit purportedly view as a positive starting point should they enter transfer talks with Thomas Tuchel's side.
But Marca also believe that PSG would be unwilling to offload their star player to Barcelona, and would instead prefer to sell elsewhere.
Boss Valverde has the ongoing confusion surrounding the futures of Rafinha, Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal to resolve before the return of La Liga.
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