Report: Worrying development for Everton on £250k-a-week ace Carlo Ancelotti really wants

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Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly eager to bring Philippe Coutinho to Goodison Park, but there may have been a worrying development for the Toffees, according to France Football.

Coutinho first emerged as a purported Everton target back in April, with Spanish outlet Sport claiming that the Toffees were willing to meet Barcelona’s demands for the out-of-favour midfielder.

However, the Brazil international and former Liverpool ace has also been linked with the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in recent months.

According to FF, a return to the Premier League is seen as a priority for Coutinho, with Everton expressing a strong interest in the £250,000-a-week ace as Ancelotti seeks to bolster his attacking ranks.

Tottenham reportedly remain interested too, albeit with some reservations about his price – the FF report claims loan club Bayern had a 120m Euro (£108m) option to buy, which they aren’t expected to take up.

That said, in wake of the global health crisis, Sport claims a part-exchange bid of 50m to 60m Euro (£45m to £54m) plus a 30m Euro player (£27m) would suffice for Barca.

However, FF claims Newcastle are the most likely to claim Coutinho’s signature, with the 27-year-old’s camp apparently believing very strongly in the project and in the possibility for the player to be part of it.

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Coutinho is a player of the highest calibre who simply doesn’t appear to be the right fit for Barcelona, but he has proven quality at the highest level, including in the Premier League.

Admittedly, there could be reservations for Coutinho in terms of joining his former club’s city rivals, not to mention the ambition to continue playing in the Champions League.

That said, Newcastle aren’t going to be in the competition next season, but given they’re on the verge of a potentially very lucrative takeover, they could soon have the financial muscle to beat most other teams in the world.