Door opens for Barça's Coutinho to move to Paris Saint-Germain

All roads for Philippe Coutinho lead to... Paris. PSG is the solution (maybe the only possible one) to a difficult equation: selling for 100 million euros to a club that will pay the 12 million salary he earns at Barcelona. 

That the relationship between Barça and PSG is not good should not provide a problem as the Catalans look to bring in money for signings this summer. The experience of last summer, when there was almost an agreement for Ivan Rakitic, before the player himself put the brakes on, shows the hostility will not affect business. 

The key to the negotiations will be Coutinho's two agents, Kia Joorabchian in London and Guliano Bertolucci in Brazil. Both have good relations with the Paris club, their sporting director Antero Henrique and the club's owner Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.

Joorabchian and Bertolucci are also the agent of Marquinhos and David Luiz (bought frin and sold back to Chelsea) and other players who are of interest to PSG, such as Ajax's David Neres. 

Coutinho is liked in Paris. The player's reluctance to move to Ligue 1, which he had before Barça move, has disappeared. Neymar, regardless of his he stays this summer, will not have a long-term future at the club and Coutinho could play a big role at the French champions. Kylian Mbappe's growth would not affect that. 

A move to PSG is more likely than a sale to Chelsea, who are set to lose Eden Hazard to Real Madrid but could be under a transfer ban this summer. The wage drop at Stamford Bridge, though, is why PSG are the favourites. 

Manchester United could pay his salary, but after failing to qualify for the Champions League -- plus his Liverpool past -- it's not a move Coutinho will consider. 

PSG's interest is not new. In the summer of 2017, they were ready to spend 150 million euros on the then Liverpool man. As is well known, the Premier League club resisted all offers that year, before finally giving into Coutinho's desire to leave in January of 2018. 

Coutinho made a good start at Camp Nou but has had a tough season. He has been criticised -- even whistled -- by his own supporters in the home straight and is keen to move elsewhere where he can re-find his best form. 

In the French capital, he would find a number of Brazilians: Dani Alves, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva and possible Neymar. PSG have always looked to Brazilians. They have also had Thiago Motta (who now works at the club's academy) and Maxwell, Lucas Moura and David Luiz in recent seasons. 

Brazilians in Paris also pre-dates the Qatari owners. Valdo, Ricardo Gomes, Raí and Leonardo all played there in the 1990s and Ronaldinho moved there in the early 2000s before he joined Barça.