Philippe Coutinho will not join Bayern Munich permanently - but the club's chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has opened the door to another loan move for the Brazilian.
There has been growing speculation that former Liverpool star Coutinho could return to the Premier League this summer, with Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham among the clubs who have been linked.
The 27-year-old has spent the season on loan at Bayern from Barcelona, but it was widely expected that the Bundesliga leaders would not take up the option to sign the attacking midfielder in a permanent deal.
Rummenigge has now confirmed that expectation, with the deadline for a permanent deal having expired - although the Bayern chief appeared to suggest Coutinho could still return to the Allianz Arena next season.
Bayern's refusal to sign Coutinho permanently is seemingly good news for Premier League clubs hoping a return to England could see him recapture the form he showed with Liverpool during his five years at Anfield.
But if Bayern are willing to try and take the midfielder on loan again, it could throw a spanner in the works.
“The option expired and we haven’t activated it," Rummenigge told German magazine Der Spiegel on Friday.
"We’re going to plan our squad for next season and we'll see if he still has a role to play with us or not.”
Coutinho played a starring role for Liverpool before leaving for Barcelona in a £130million deal in January 2018.
The Brazilian failed to nail down a starting spot at Barca, leading to his loan move to the Bundesliga this season.
It is thought the Catalan Club are keen to offload Coutinho - or at least get him off the wage bill by sending him out on another loan.
Mirror Sport understands that Liverpool have no interest in taking Coutinho back, but several of their Premier League rivals have been credited with an interest in the midfielder, with Chelsea believed to be at the front of the queue.
Coutinho made 32 appearances in all competitions for Bayern this season, scoring nine goals and posting eight assists. He is currently recovering from ankle surgery.
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