Newcastle United could enhance their prospects of signing Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona, if they appoint Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach, Mundo Deportivo claims.
The Magpies are presently being managed by Steve Bruce but he has been fancied to be replaced by Pochettino when PCP Capital Partners take control of the club from current owner Mike Ashley.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Pochettino remains a keen admirer of Coutinho and he had wanted to sign the 27-year-old when he was the manager of Tottenham Hotspur last summer.
It is added that the deal did not materialise due to chairman Daniel Levy’s ‘irreparable enmity with the Brazilian’s agent (Kia Joorabchian) over the Willian transfer saga in August 2013.
Coutinho is currently on a season-long loan deal with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga but he is expected to return to the Camp Nou with the German side unlikely to trigger the £105m buy clause.
With the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Blaugrana have reduced their asking price for the player to £88m (€100m) and it remains to be seen whether the Magpies will break the bank for the playmaker.
Pochettino has a good relationship with Coutinho, having previously managed him at Espanyol on a short-term loan deal from Inter Milan during the 2012/2013 season.
The Argentine would surely relish a reunion with the Brazilian at St James’ Park but it will be interesting to see whether Coutinho fancies the ambitious project on Tyneside.
The former Liverpool man has been recently linked with clubs such as Chelsea and Leicester City, who could assure him Champions League football next term unlike the Magpies.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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