Philippe Coutinho Could Stay at Barcelona This Summer as Club Stand Firm on €100m Asking Price

Barcelona are reported to be doubling down on their valuation of Philippe Coutinho, as reports in Spain claim they have decided against selling him for anything less than €100m this summer.

The Brazil international's stock has declined steadily ever since heading to Catalonia from Liverpool in 2018, and an indifferent loan spell at Bayern Munich has done him few favours.

As such, Barça are going to have a hard time moving him on permanently. Bayern are widely expected to pass on their €120m option to buy, and while a source has confirmed to 90min that Liverpool still have first refusal on a move for the 27-year-old, that one is even more unlikely to happen.

Chelsea and Arsenal have been mentioned in recent weeks while there has even been talk of Everton and Leicester coming into the picture. By the by, it's a pretty bleak market for wildly overpriced midfielders on stratospheric salaries - especially in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

It comes down to Barcelona to try and make the best of a pretty desperate situation then, and Mundo Deportivo report that they are deploying a questionable strategy to do just that. It's said Barça have placed a €100m price tag on his head - and if they don't get that, then he'll be staying put in Catalonia.

The idea of a Camp Nou redemption story was floated in April by manager Quique Setien, who went even further than what's being claimed here - suggesting that if anyone wants him, they might even have to meet his €400m release clause. Yeah, right...

“I think Coutinho is a great player. I like him a lot. He’s a player who, in principle, is Barcelona’s," Setien told RAC1, as per the Evening Standard.

“Any team that wants him has to pay his clause or a certain amount to Barça.

“I’m counting on him to be here at the start of next season. I don’t know what he wants to do. Perhaps I have to speak to him and ask him. He is a great player, without doubt.”

Barça might seem to think they're in a strong negotiating position, but Marca believe otherwise. They report, conversely, that the club stand to lose a further €20m on Coutinho if he does return to the club.

That's as a result of a clause in the Brazilian's move from Liverpool, which sees Barcelona owe Liverpool such a fee in the event of him making 100 appearances for the club. He's currently on 76.

If there is a future for him in Catalonia, then, he better make it worth their while...

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