Juventus Eye Shock Move for Philippe Coutinho as Arthur Melo Alternative

Philippe Coutinho
FC Bayern Muenchen v FC Augsburg – Bundesliga | DeFodi Images/Getty Images

Juventus have become the latest club to be linked with Philippe Coutinho, who is currently on loan at Bayern Munich from Barcelona, after Arthur Melo decided to turn down the opportunity to move to Turin.

Coutinho has lacked consistency during his loan spell with Bayern and, as a result, he has been limited to just 15 starts in the Bundesliga in 2019/20. Overall, he has made 22 appearances in Germany’s top division and has contributed eight goals and six assists.

Philippe CoutinhoPhilippe Coutinho
Schalke 04 v Bayern Munchen – German DFB Pokal | Soccrates Images/Getty Images

These aren’t disastrous figures, but Bayern are said to be unwilling to fork out around €120m to land the Brazilian on a permanent basis. As a result, Coutinho’s future has been the topic of much discussion, with Barça also open to offloading him. However, La Blaugrana are said to be looking for a staggering €100m for his services this summer.

Calciomercato (via the Mirror) now report that Juventus are ‘eyeing’ up a move for Coutinho after being rejected by Arthur. This has forced the Italian giants to look for alternatives, and they have now made the 27-year-old a target.

Arthur has been heavily linked with a move to Juventus in recent times, most notably mentioned as being included in a swap deal involving himself and Miralem Pjanic. However, the Brazilian has shown no interest in wanting to join Juventus, instead expressing his desire to stay put.

Arthur MeloArthur Melo
Real Madrid CF v FC Barcelona – La Liga | DeFodi Images/Getty Images

As a result, this has put Barça’s plans to sign Pjanic on hold, but I Bianconeri’s interest in Coutinho could kickstart talks once again. The problem for any deal, however, would be the valuation of the players, specifically Coutinho. Despite interest from a number of Premier League clubs, no club has actually shown a willingness to pay the €100m fee being demanded by Barça, considering his disappointing displays in recent seasons.

This deal could potentially suit both parties, but like many other suitors in Coutinho, the price could well prove to be an issue.

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