The newly rich Saudi club Newcastle United is already on the lookout for possible transfers. Barca star Philippe Coutinho is high on the list.
He has long been considered a sales candidate at FC Barcelona. Now a buyer could have been found. As the Spanish newspaper “Sport” reports, Newcastle United are said to be interested in the Brazilian. It could be the new Saudi club’s first significant transfer.
First conversations
Last summer there was said to have been the first contact between Coutinho’s advisors and representatives of the Saudi Arabian consortium. Their talks with Newcastle regarding the takeover of the club got stuck at the time and there were no more concrete negotiations – after it was officially announced on Thursday that the consortium had acquired the majority stake in Newcastle, according to the report, things could get fresh momentum.
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On the one hand, the Catalans want to get rid of the big earner Coutinho (salary around 23 million euros per year). On the other hand, Newcastle want to sign a player with a big name. For Coutinho, a move to Newcastle would be a return to the Premier League. Between 2013 and 2018 he played for Liverpool FC. His contract in Barcelona runs until summer 2023.
