Former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho has been backed to join Chelsea in a shock January transfer with odds dropping as short as 5/1 for the move to take place before the end of the month.
Coutinho, the Barcelona midfielder, was linked with a £101million move to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday by Don Balon, with the Brazil international viewed as the perfect replacement for Eden Hazard.
Hazard continues to be linked with Real Madrid, and he admitted earlier this week that he’s always want to ‘explore’ somewhere other than England.
And following Hazard’s comments, punters have piled bets on Coutinho completing a January switch to west London.
Oddschecker reveal that 81 per cent of all bets in the the market for Coutinho’s next club have been placed on Chelsea, with odds dropping from 50/1 to a remarkable 5/1.
Napoli are second favourites for the 26-year-old, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side price at 8/1 to bring Coutinho back to Italy six years after leaving for Liverpool.
The Reds signed Coutinho from Internazionale of Milan in January 2013, and during his time at Anfield he established himself as one of the finest attacking midfielders in the world.
The Brazil ace has struggled since joining Barcelona this time last year, however, with the £142million signing finding himself out Ernesto Valverde’s starting line-up for a large portion of this season.
It’s time Philippe Coutinho started proving his worth at Barcelona
Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek said: “Coutinho’s move to Barcelona has not worked out as expected and, with former club Liverpool going from strength to strength since his departure, it’s anyone’s guess where he will end up next.
“The Hazard replacement line is an obvious one, but punters may be forgetting that Christian Pulisic will be arriving in west London in the summer.”
The Blues signed Pulisic earlier this month before sending him back on loan to Borussia Dortmund, with the view of the United States international providing cover in the wide positions when he eventually links up with his new team.
Coutinho can play as part of an attacking trio as well, though he is just as comfortable in a midfield role, such as the one currently played by Ross Barkley and Mateo Kovacic in Maurizio Sarri’s 4-3-3 system.