What's the story?
Chelsea want Coutinho to replace Hazard, who looks all set to join Real Madrid this summer but are currently under the transfer ban.
According to SPORT, the Blues are monitoring the Brazilian’s situation at Barcelona very closely and will like to replace their talisman, if they are able to lift their ban that is.
In case you didn’t know….
Since joining the Catalan giants in the winter of 2018, Coutinho endured the worst spell in his career. Despite being a regular starter in Valverde’s line-up, the midfield sensation took a lot of stick from the fans and failed to make an impact for the Blaugranas.
The 26-year-old midfielder received a lot of criticism of lately from a section of Barcelona faithful and football pundits, due to his lack of influence in Barcelona’s crucial matches.
However, Coutinho has been heavily linked to another English giant Manchester United, who want to land the Brazilian to improve their squad for the next season, as they failed to secure a Premier League top four finish this campaign.
The heart of the matter
Chelsea are currently hit with a transfer ban from FIFA which restricts them from registering players for two transfer windows. Although, FIFA rejected their recent appeal to reduce the ban, but there is still hope for the Blues as they can appeal in CAS to allow them sign players this summer.
Chelsea now have to wait for the verdict so that they can find a proper replacement in the form of Coutinho for Eden Hazard, who is on the brink of leaving the Stamford Bridge to join the Los Blancos.
What’s Next?
Barcelona have confirmed that Coutinho will be out for ten days after suffering a thigh injury on Sunday against Getafe.