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Football London
Football London
Sport
Joe Doyle

'Don't want another Willian' - Arsenal fans on Philippe Coutinho rumours amid Barcelona payment

Arsenal have long been linked with a move for Philippe Coutinho, with his dream Barcelona move not going as planned.

The former Liverpool star made the move to Camp Nou in January 2018 after five successful years at Anfield, for a fee worth up to £142million.

His first 18 months in Spain proved difficult, and despite winning back-to-back La Liga titles and a Copa del Rey, he was loaned out to Bayern Munich for the 2019/20 season.

The Brazilian star found more success in Germany, winning a Bundesliga title and the Champions League, even assisting and scoring against Barcelona on the way to the German side's triumph.

However, Bayern were not persuaded to take up their permanent option to buy the 28-year-old for €120million (£107.6million), and talk has gathered pace about his place in the Barca side.

Coutinho has been a fairly regular starter for Barca this season, but speculation continues to mount about his future, following the news that the Spanish side have now finally paid off his entire transfer fee to Liverpool.

But amid rumours linking him to Arsenal, fans of the Gunners on Reddit are clear on their views surrounding the attacking midfielder.

DeadlockRadium: "I haven't seen much of him the last few years, but his agent is Kia Joorabchian, which makes it a hard no for me."

arseking15: "I'm going to lose my mind if we sign another declining player close to 30."

goonerfan10: "No more Kia players, please. Get Buendia, young player who has Premier League experience. He will come on a reasonable wage packet."

InPatRileyWeTrust: "Nah he's washed. Don't want another Willian."

Coutinho himself has not ruled out the possibility of a Premier League return, but says that his only focus at the moment is on Barcelona.

Coutinho told World Soccer in November: "The Premier League is one of the most exciting leagues in the world and to have the chance to play there with a team like Liverpool will always be something I will feel grateful for.

"It is impossible to say what might or might not happen in the future - but what I know is that right now my only focus is on being successful with Barcelona."

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