According to Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde, Philippe Coutinho wanted to leave Barcelona at the end of the last season itself but will now finally change bases and play for Bayern Munich.
(FILES) In this file photo taken on February 06, 2019 Barcelona's Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho looks on during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semi-final first leg football match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP)
Barcelona player Philippe Coutinho is set to leave Barcelona and join Bayern Munich on a season-long loan.
The news was confirmed by Barcelona’s Director of institutional and Sporting Relations, Guillermo Amor, on Friday prior to Barcelona’s first game of the La Liga season.
According to Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde, Philippe Coutinho wanted to leave Barcelona at the end of the last season itself but will now finally change bases and play for Bayern Munich.
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Coutinho had joined the La Liga side in August 2017 to try and fill the big boots of Neymar who had moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). However, injury concerns meant that he could not feature in a lot of matches for them in the first season. In his second season too, he struggled to get the backing of his manager, Ernesto Valverde, although he started for them in 22 league matches.
The decision is slightly surprising because earlier reports had stated that he might go to PSG in exchange for Neymar. His move to Bayern Munich now means that either PSG wants players like Ivan Rakitic and Nelson Semedo or the Neymar deal might not materialise at all.
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