Gary Lineker has questioned claims that Barcelona have offered Chelsea the chance to sign Philippe Coutinho.
The midfielder joined Barcelona in a £142million deal in January 2018, but has struggled to recapture the form he showed at Liverpool.
After failing to impress in an 18-month spell, Barca sent Coutinho on loan to Bayern Munich but the Bundesliga side are set to turn down the £120million option they have in place to sign him permanently.
This has seen Chelsea linked with a move for the former Reds playmaker, with reports claiming Frank Lampard is keen to add some creativity to his side this summer.
And according to Sky Sports, the Blues are one of the clubs that have been offered the chance to sign the Brazil international from Barcelona when the transfer window reopens.
But Match of the Day host Lineker, who represented Barcelona in a three-year spell during his playing career, took to social media to respond to the claims.
"This nonsense always makes me laugh," Lineker replied on Twitter.
"If a club wants to sell a player, they’d hardly limit it to a few clubs of their choosing. 'Hi there Mr Abramovich, we want to sell you Coutinho and we don’t want him to go anywhere but Chelsea.' 'How considerate, we’ll take him.'"
Barca manager Quique Setien recently opened the door for Coutinho to depart the Nou Camp, by refusing to rule out a sale.
"He is still a Barcelona player. You have to pay the clause or a transfer fee to Barca," he told Radio Station RAC 1.
"I think he can be here at the beginning of next season.
“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.”
