West Ham are reported ‘extremely interested’ in signing Philippe Coutinho in the summer.
On loan at Aston Villa from Barcelona for the remainder of the season, the 29-year-old has made an outstanding return to the Premier League so far.
Despite clearly sitting in the box seat, the Midlands club may face competition from the Hammers and Arsenal to make the move permanent.
That’s according to a report from Spanish outlet Fichajes, as cited by RumorsTransfersNews24/7 on Twitter.
Arsenal and West Ham United will reportedly go up against Aston Villa in the race to sign Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona in the summer. (Fichajes)
— RumorsTransfersNews24/7 📰 (@rumorstransfers) February 14, 2022
The report claims that the Irons are set to enter an ‘interesting race’ for the 63-cap Brazil star as Barcelona look to maximise their earning potential.
So far this season Coutinho – described as ‘phenomenal’ by Roberto Firmino – has scored four times and provided two assists in 20 outings across spells in England and Spain.
READ WEST HAM VERDICT
Valued at £16.2million (Transfermarkt), signing the Brazilian attacking midfielder would likely cost in the region of the mooted £33.4million option to buy price set in the loan terms.
Clearly still a player with plenty to offer at the top level, despite an ultimately wretched big-money move to Catalonia, Coutinho would be a superb addition to David Moyes’ squad.
Possessing a vast array of attacking attributes, the gifted ace would be the ideal replacement should Manuel Lanzini move on at the end of the season.
