As per a report from Spanish outlet Sport, the actions of Tottenham chief Daniel Levy during last summer’s transfer window have seen Philippe Coutinho rule the Lilywhites out as a potential future destination.
Barca exit
Brazilian international Coutinho departed the Premier League for Spanish giants Barcelona in January of 2018.
However, as has since been widely documented, the 27-year-old largely struggled to replicate his previous brilliance whilst on the books of the Blaugrana, eventually resulting in those in charge at the Camp Nou coming to the decision to cut their losses last summer.
Following months of rampant speculation, Coutinho’s nightmare Barca stint was finally brought to an end in August, when, despite links with the likes of Arsenal and PSG, the Brazilian put pen-to-paper on a deal with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
Coutinho made the move to Bavaria on loan for the season, with an option to buy this summer:
Spurs ruled out?
The months since his arrival, however, have not exactly seen Coutinho light up the Bundesliga.
The 27-year-old has actually managed starts in just 15 of Bayern’s 25 league outings thus far this season.
As such, to this point, it has remained unclear whether or not the German champions intend to take up their option to buy on the Brazilian.
LEIPZIG, GERMANY – SEPREMBER 14: Philippe Coutinho of Bayern Muenchen looks on during the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Bayern Muenchen at Red Bull Arena on September 14, 2019 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
Such uncertainty, meanwhile, has resulted in mounting speculation of late that Coutinho has his heart set on a return to England.
All of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham have been named as potential destinations for the former Liverpool man over recent weeks.
As per the aforementioned report from Sport (as cited by the Daily Mail), though, Coutinho has already ruled one of these clubs out of the running for his signature.
The outfit in question are Tottenham.
It is claimed that a deal to take the midfield creator to north London last summer was actually in place at one point.
This was obviously before Bayern entered the fray, and before Spurs clinched a deal for Giovani Lo Celso.
However, just when it appeared as though Coutinho was set for his desired Premier League return, Daniel Levy attempted to renegotiate the agreed fee with Barcelona.
This saw the deal collapse, and Coutinho left ‘outraged’ to the extent that he will now not even consider joining the Lilywhites, either this summer or at any point down the line.
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