Philippe Coutinho was withdrawn from the Barcelona squad for Friday’s La Liga opener against Athletic Bilbao with sources telling ESPN FC that the club are in advanced negations with Bayern Munich over a loan deal.
Barca director Guillermo Amor confirmed the “basis of an agreement” is in place ahead of Friday’s game but there are still details to be ironed out.
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Bayern will pay Coutinho’s salary in full, but it’s not yet been decided whether he will join the German champions on a one-year or two-year loan deal. The two clubs must also agree how much the option to buy will be for the Bundesliga side.
Coutinho, 27, was travelled with Ernesto Valverde’s squad to San Mames but was pulled from the squad with just over an hour to go before kick-off in the Basque Country, watch the game from the stands.
Barca have been looking to move Coutinho on all summer, with sources first telling ESPN FC after the Champions League loss to Liverpool that the Catalan club wanted to shift the Brazilian, their record signing at a fee rising to €160 million.
The Spanish champions hoped to find a buyer in England but late interest from Tottenham failed to lead to a deal.
Coutinho has also been used in a pawn in a potential deal for Neymar. Barca were prepared to send him to Paris Saint-Germain, in addition to cash, in a bid to bring Neymar back to Camp Nou.
However, the player has opted to accept an offer from Bayern, which has been on the table for the last few days. Sources close to the player confirmed he’s expected to travel to Bayern over the weekend for a medical and to finalise his move.
Barca signed Coutinho from Liverpool in 2018 but he has failed to live up to his price tag, with fans turning on him at the end of last season.
The relationship with the supporters hit a low when he told them to be quiet as he celebrated a goal in a Champions League win over Manchester United at Camp Nou.
He was then one of the symbols of Barca’s catastrophic end to the season which saw the Catalans lose 4-0 at Anfield on their way out of the Champions League and then fall to defeat against Valencia in the Copa del Rey final.