Former Premier League striker Marcus Bent has exclusively told This is Futbol that Phillipe Coutinho should jump at the chance to return to England should an opportunity present itself this summer.
The Brazilian left for Barcelona three years ago but has endured a disastrous time in Spain and was nearly sold before being loaned to Bayern Munich just 18 months later.
Will Everton sign Philippe Coutinho this summer?
Yes
No
Coutinho fared considerably better in Germany, winning both the Bundesliga and Champions League, but Munich decided against making his deal permanent, but his woes haven’t let up following his return to the Nou Camp.
He featured 14 times for Barcelona before suffering a serious knee problem in December which put a premature end to his season.
Despite his injury worries, strong reports believe that Everton are confident of completing a deal to sign Coutinho, who was once called perfect by Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, for £35m.
Everton have also been linked with the likes of Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and Gareth Bale as Carlo Ancelotti looks to bring further big names into the Toffees squad, following the high-profile arrival of James Rodriguez 12 months ago.
Asked whether he thinks Coutinho would make the move to the Blue half of Merseyside, Bent told This is Futbol:
“Well, you’d like to think so, because the Premier League is the best league in the world.
“Barcelona are an amazing side, but who would want to leave Barcelona? But if he’s being pushed out of the door, he’d be a guaranteed starter. Well, no player is guaranteed to start, it depends on their worth and consistency, but over the years he’s been a good player for Liverpool and Barcelona.
“I would jump at the chance myself to return to the Premier League.”