Newcastle United prospective Saudi owners will like to see to it that they sign Philippe Coutinho first to make a statement the moment their takeover is completed and Mauricio Pochettino is installed as manager.
The £300million deal is awaiting the approval of the Premier League but has been held up following Qatar's broadcast piracy allegations.
According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, the Brazilian star could be on his way to St James' Park as one of Newcastle's first signings.
Valued at around £70million, Coutinho has been linked with Chelsea and Leicester City but the newspaper believe Newcastle could swoop in.
The 27-year-old moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for an initial fee of £105m potentially rising to £142m in January 2018, but struggled to make an impact at the Nou Camp and is currently on loan at Bayern Munich in Germany, with no intention of making the move permanent.
The report added that Barca are unwilling to budge on their valuation as they wish to recover as much of their 2018 outlay as possible on a player contracted until 2023.
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Obviously, Newcastle's vast new wealth would also be able to comfortably afford the expense.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
