Edu lays down law as two demands are made before Arsenal secure Philippe Coutinho transfer
Arsenal are reportedly in the driving seat to secure the Philippe Coutinho transfer – but want two situations resolved before they push through the signing of the Brazilian.
The Brazilian playmaker is hungry to leave Catalonia after failing to live up to expectations. Indeed, four years have passed since his huge £142m transfer to the Nou Camp – and it’s safe to say that Coutinho has been a disappointment.
The former Liverpool man has made 106 appearances for Barca, scoring 26 goals. And while his record isn’t that bad, he’s regularly been unable to find his consistent best, failing to convince a string of managers in the process.
Now 29, Coutinho has reportedly made it clear that he wants to depart Barcelona.
Despite his struggles, Coutinho remains very much a man in demand. To that end, Leicester and Everton are reportedly on his trail.
He’s also been linked with Newcastle, while Wednesday’s Euro Paper Talk also touted another surprise Premier League suitor.
The most persistent links, however, are coming from Arsenal. Mikel Arteta is keen on landing the Brazilian, in an effort to galvanise Arsenal’s top-four push.
Indeed, Barca offered assurances to the representatives of Coutinho that they will try and seal a January switch to The Emirates.
Now, according to Sport, Arsenal technical director Edu is closing in on his signature.
And with Barca reportedly lowering their demands on Coutinho, a deal is apparently drawing closer.
However, before the signing is rubberstamped, the Spanish paper claims the Gunners need two conditions to be met.
Coutinho transfer hinges on drop in wage demands
Firstly, the Arsenal chief wants Coutinho to agree to a significant drop in wages. He is reportedly earning £135,000 a week on a deal to summer 2023.
While the wages Arsenal want to offer aren’t disclosed, it’s believed Coutinho is looking at around a 50% reduction.
Furthermore, Edu wants Barcelona to lower their ‘obligation to buy’ demands on any deal. Instead, he prefers a deal that gives the Gunners an ‘option to buy’ instead.
Essentially, Edu wants to give Arsenal a way to back out of any permanent deal should the signing of Coutinho produce the desired results.
But should all parties adhere to their requests, the Gunners could well welcome the signing of Coutinho before the month is out.
Arsenal target declines Sevilla switch
Arsenal have seemingly been given a boost to their hopes of signing Juventus attacker Dejan Kulusevski after the Swede decided against a move to Sevilla.
Calciomercato reports that Arsenal and Spurs have both had recent talks to sign the Juve star, who has struggled for game time under Max Allegri. Indeed, Kulusevski has only started four of his 21 appearances in all competitions – scoring once and adding three assists.
Both Antonio Conte and Arteta have expressed interest in bringing the talented 21-year-old to England.
And it would appear that Kulusevski has a similar feeling after ruling out a proposed switch to LaLiga.
The report adds Juventus are seeking a fee of around £29million for the playmaker, with his contract running to 2025.
Tottenham’s interest is no great surprise. Their sporting director Fabio Paratici secured a deal to bring Kulusevski to Juve in 2020.
READ MORE: New date agreed, but Liverpool lose key advantage as Arsenal Carabao Cup tie postponed
The post Edu lays down law as two demands are made before Arsenal secure Philippe Coutinho transfer appeared first on TEAMtalk.