Philippe Coutinho will not return to the Premier League this summer, despite being offered on loan to a host of English clubs.
The Brazilian has been offered to several clubs with Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino believed to have been interested in securing a season-long loan before the transfer window slams shut last evening.
Barcelona had been willing to allow Coutinho to leave this summer after he fell out of favour at the Spanish champions, with any funds generated from the transfer planned for an attempt to secure Neymar’s return.
However, according to ESPN, there is now no chance of the former Liverpool star returning to England. Coutinho was understood to have been keen on a return to England, triggering Spurs to assess their options ahead of Christian Eriksen’s potential switch to Manchester United.
However, it emerged the chances of Eriksen going to Old Trafford ended on Wednesday morning. It is claimed that talks with Spurs were progressing well before chairman Daniel Levy attempted to restructure the deal.
The 27-year-old was also offered to a number of English clubs but Liverpool could not afford a deal while Arsenal were never interested as they prioritised the need for defensive reinforcements. Speaking after Barcelona’s 2-1 friendly win over Napoli in Miami on Wednesday night, Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde insisted Coutinho would be part of his plans if he stayed put.
“Of course I am counting on him,” Valverde said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen, but he’s with us.
“He didn’t play today because, like Arthur and [Arturo] Vidal, they’ve only had two training sessions. The plan is the same. Bring them in little by little. We will see if on Saturday he can play some minutes.
“The idea is the same with him as everyone else. We count on him, of course.”
