Barcelona outcast Philippe Coutinho could make a sensational return to Inter on a season-long loan in the coming months. As reported by Spanish outlet Sport (via SempreInter), the Nerazzurri are enthusiastic about the idea of bringing the playmaker back to Serie A on favored terms.
Coutinho left Inter to ally with Liverpool in 2013 and became a household name in European football before completing a blockbuster move to Barcelona in January 2018. However, his career has since taken a downward curve as he is currently only a shadow of a player the fans at Anfield used to worship a few years ago.
Faced with financial turmoil, the Catalans need to cut their ballooning wage bill, and the 29-year-old attacking midfielder could fall victim to Joan Laporta’s new club policy. Though Barcelona would be ready to give up Coutinho for a significantly lower transfer fee compared to a whopping £142million they paid Liverpool two-and-half years ago, the player’s wages represent a stumbling block.
Inter would welcome the Brazilian back to the Giuseppe Meazza, but any deal to bring Coutinho back to Italy will require him to make a substantial wage cut. The Nerazzurri are in no rush to sign a new attacking midfielder after capturing the signature of Hakan Calhanoglu on a free transfer earlier this month.
In fact, Inter’s financial situation is not encouraging either. Despite lifting the Serie A crown in 2020/21, the Lombard giants will have to offload some top players to balance the books this summer. As such, dashing out massive figures on a player like Coutinho seems to contradict the club’s current financial state.