Tottenham Hotspur: Fans react to Barcelona setting £8m loan fee for Philippe Coutinho

Barcelona have told Tottenham Hotspur they can sign Philippe Coutinho next season for a loan fee of around £8m, according to Football Insider via @thespursweb.

A number of Europe’s biggest clubs have been monitoring Coutinho (as per Mundo Deportivo) after Bayern Munich revealed they won’t activate their option to sign him permanently and Spurs have asked to be kept informed of his availability in the transfer market.

Earlier this month, Football Insider reported that the Lilywhites are looking to sign the Brazilian on loan or with a a loan-to-buy deal. A source has now told Wayne Veysey that Barcelona want any agreement to include an £8m fee to cover his hefty wage demands.

Football Insider revealed that Spurs are unwilling to pay for his entire salary, which is reportedly more than £200,000 per week, making him more expensive than the club’s top earner Harry Kane in the process.

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Although it could be argued that he has struggled to recreate the form he enjoyed with Liverpool, the 27-year-old has still managed to score 21 goals and create 11 assists in 76 appearances for the Blaugrana.

At a mere £8m, the Brazil international should be a comparative “bargain”, as one fan tweeted, as he is clearly an upgrade on the midfield options at Jose Mourinho’s disposal, as he has a higher statistical rating than the likes of Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso, via WhoScored.

Whether or not Daniel Levy splashes the cash remains to be seen, as he has been notoriously tight-fisted in the past. Unsurprisingly, loads of supporters are highly doubtful that the chairman will dip into his pockets. One fan tweeted that there is “no chance” of a deal going through and another added that this is “too much for Levy”.

Have a read through the rest of the mixed reactions below…

If not fake news it's a bargain and should be snapped up

— Alan Lazarus (@ABLkidlazar) May 29, 2020