Newcastle United join race to sign Barcelona playmaker

Newcastle United have reportedly joined Chelsea and Everton in the race to sign Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona during the summer transfer window.

The Brazilian is presently with Bayern Munich on a season-long loan but he is due to return to the Camp Nou at the end of the campaign.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Magpies have joined the pursuit of the former Liverpool man and they are keen on making him their marquee signing for the summer.

The Magpies are currently on the verge of a takeover from PCP Capital Partners, who are backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund and they have been fancied to spend big on high-profile names.

Of course, the Tyneside outfit won't have the luxury of spending beyond a certain limit with the Financial Fair Play restrictions in place but they can still make the use of the cash reserves and player sales to boost their transfer kitty.

Coutinho has bagged nine goals and eight assists for Bayern this term. He has been inconsistent during the loan stint and the German side have declined the option to buy him for around £97m.