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Bayern Munich are set to extend Philippe Coutinho’s loan from Barcelona until the official end of the season.
The Brazilian moved last summer in a temporary deal that is due to expire at the end of June. However, the Bundesliga giants want the Brazilian for their Champions League campaign, according to Sky in Germany. Coutinho’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, met with Barcelona officials on Wednesday to agree to extend the deal.
Bayern were confirmed as Bundesliga champions on Tuesday after beating Werder Bremen 1-0. They still have two league fixtures left to play as well as a cup final against Bayer Leverkusen in July.
Meanwhile, the Champions League is set to resume in August with a final eight tournament in Lisbon. Bayern are in good shape to reach the latter stages after beating Chelsea 3-0 in the first leg of their last-16 tie before the competition was paused.
Bayern Haven’t Activated Coutinho Clause
Although Bayern want Coutinho to stay a while longer it still seems unlikely he will end up at the Allianz Arena permanently. Club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Der Spiegel in May his club has not activated the €120 million ($180 million) purchase option in his contract.
“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’s long-term future remains the subject of speculation. A rumored return to former club Liverpool has been described as “impossible” by Simon Hughes at The Athletic.
However, Joorabchian has explained Coutinho would ideally like to play in the Premier League again if possible in an interview with Sky Sports.
“He has a desire to come back to the Premier League at some point. It may not happen this year, it may happen this year – we don’t know. We have not discussed anything for now.”
Coutinho joined Barcelona from Liverpool in January 2018. His current contract at the Camp Nou runs until summer 2023 and includes a buyout clause set at €400 million.
Big Finish for Coutinho?
Bayern’s decision to keep hold of Coutinho allows the Brazilian the chance to make an impact before the season ends. He has scored nine goals and contributed eight assists for the Bavarian giants so far in 2019-20.
Coutinho is currently on the way back from injury after undergoing ankle surgery but is closing in on a return to first-team action for Hansi Flick’s side.
Bayern play their Champions League second leg against Chelsea on 7th or 8th August. If they are successful they will head to Portugal for the final round of games with the aim of securing the European Cup for the sixth time in their history.
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Coutinho will be hoping he can get more minutes between now and the end of the campaign once he returns and some impressive performances may help determine where he plays his football next season.
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