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Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has confirmed the Bundesliga champions have not activated the €120 million ($180 million) purchase option in Barcelona loanee Philippe Coutinho’s contract.
The Brazilian swapped the Camp Nou for the Allianz Arena in August 2019 on a season-long loan with an option to buy. However, Rummenigge has told Der Spiegel the option has not been activated and he does not know if Coutinho will stay.
“We haven’t activated it,” he said. “Now we’re going to draw up squad planning internally and we’ll see if he still has a role to play with us or not.”
Coutinho moved to Bayern after falling out of favour at the Camp Nou. He has played 32 times for Bayern in all competitions in 2019-20, scoring nine times and contributing two assists.
Coutinho May Have Played His Last Game for Bayern
The Bundesliga became the first major European league to return to action last weekend after being suspended due to the coronavirus crisis. Bayern beat FC Union Berlin 2-0 but were without Coutinho due to injury.
The Barcelona loanee underwent ankle surgery in April to remove “loose joint fragments.” Sport have reported Coutinho may miss the rest of Bayern’s league season and may not be ready to return to action until the end of June because of the injury.
Coutinho has commenced individual training this week but still appears to be some way off getting back into action with the first team.
Premier League Clubs Keen on Coutinho
Premier League clubs continue to be linked with a move for Coutinho. The 27-year-old may have found it hard to impress at Barcelona and Bayern but shone at Liverpool before signing for the Catalan giants.
Mundo Deportivo has reported that Chelsea, Manchester United and Leicester City are all interested in making a move for the Brazilian when the summer transfer window opens.
Coutinho’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, has previously said he thinks the midfielder would be happy to return to the English top flight. He told Sky Sports: “The Premier League is something that he has always enjoyed playing in, and loved playing in, and would probably love to come back and play in.”
Yet there is still a chance Coutinho could get another chance at Barcelona. New manager Quique Setien told RAC1 the Brazilian “is a great player and I really like him,” while Mundo Deportivo has reported Barcelona will only sell Coutinho if they receive a huge offer this summer.
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