According to reports in Spain, Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho is eager to replace Eden Hazard at Chelsea but fears that the club’s transfer ban could prevent him from moving to Stamford Bridge.
Coutinho established himself as a global superstar through his performances at Liverpool. His performances attracted interest from Barcelona, his dream club and the Brazilian completed a £142 million move to the club last January.
Coutinho had a good start at Barcelona, netting 10 goals and registering 6 assists during the remainder of the 2017/18 season.
This season however, Coutinho has struggled at Barcelona while having his moments of brilliance. His inconsistency has attracted a lot of criticism and could see him be out of favor at the club during the 2019/20. Barcelona are keen on selling the 27-year old to have more funds.
Due to his reputation as one of the best in his position, several clubs are interested in signing Coutinho. Chelsea have been strongly linked to the Brazilian and with Eden Hazard gone, Coutinho could well be the player that could be the Belgian’s replacement at Stamford Bridge.
Coutinho wants to fill Hazard’s position at Chelsea but there’s one thing which could prevent this from happening. Chelsea have a transfer ban which FIFA imposed upon them and even though they are trying to resolve the situation, it seems very unlikely that the ban will be lifted by the end of the summer transfer window.