Barcelona manager Quique Setien has said that Philippe Coutinho could still be a Barcelona player at the start of next season, despite being heavily linked with a move back to the Premier League.
Coutinho has spent the current season on loan at Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, although the German side seem unwilling to pay the price in the option at the end of his loan spell.
That has led to interest in bringing the former Liverpool man back to the Premier League, with Chelsea and Tottenham among a host of clubs linked.
Spanish outlet Sport report that Chelsea have already held talks with the player’s representatives.
Coutinho looks set for a move away from the Nou Camp this summer, but Setien has provided the latest update on the Brazilian’s future.
"He is still a Barcelona player. You have to pay the clause or a transfer fee to Barca. I think he can be here at the beginning of next season,” he told Radio Station RAC 1.
“I don't know if he wants to come back or go away again, I have to talk to him to ask him. He is a great player, no doubt about it.”
Coutinho left the Liverpool in January 2018 in a deal worth £142 million, although he has failed to make an impression at Barcelona.
Chelsea, along with Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Leicester City have been credited with an interest in the 27-year-old with Barcelona said to be open to a loan move but with an £80m obligation to buy at the end of the deal.
