Click to use the eyefootball Desktop site.
Barcelona ace Philippe Coutinho has reportedly been earmarked by Chelsea as the direct replacement for Eden Hazard at the end of the campaign.
The Blues are bracing themselves for the potential exit of Hazard this summer with the Belgium showing no signs of extending his contract beyond June 2020.
According to Telefoot, the west London outfit are already looking into the heir for the Belgian and Coutinho has been identified as one of the prime targets for the summer.
Coutinho has enjoyed a mixed bag of performances since his switch to Barcelona from Liverpool 14 months ago but the Blues remain confident that he can do a job for the club after his previous top-flight showing with the Reds.
Should the Blues miss out on his signature, they are said to have a contingency plan in place with Lille's Nicolas Pepe having impressed the scouts over the course of the current season.
Chelsea are currently under a FIFA-imposed ban for the next two transfer windows and any business for the summer would depend on whether they can either overcome or freeze the embargo.
Written by Sri Aswin
Copyright 2007 - 2019 Eyefootball Ltd. All rights reserved. The news and views discussed here are those of the participating users, and do not necessarily represent or have the endorsement of the editors of Eye Football.
Terms of Use - Privacy Policy - Contact Us - Use Desktop Site