Philippe Coutinho Set To Make A Return To The Merseyside, As Everton Emerges As Shock Contenders For His Signature.

Everton are emerging as shock favourites to sign Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona this summer.

The former Liverpool star is set to return to Merseyside for a second time, and bring an end to his Barcelona nightmare.

Coutinho joined the Spanish giants in January 2018 for £145m, a fee which made the Brazilian the third most expensive players in the history of football behind Kylian Mbappe and Neymar when he moved.

Barcelona tried to sell him 18 months later considering how underwhelming he has been at the Nou Camp, which makes Coutinho one of the most disappointing transfers there has ever been.

He ended up on loan at Bayern Munich, where he won the treble in Germany but the Bundesliga giants refused to make his move a permanent one after failing to reach an agreement with his parent club Barcelona.

The Toffees are claimed to have already started the process of house hunting for Philippe Coutinho as Per The Sun.

Everton are so confident of pulling off a summer move for the 28-year-old after agreeing a £35M deal in principle to land him at the Goodison Park this summer.

Boss Carlo Ancelotti wants the playmaker  Coutinho to form a South American dream team with Colombian star James Rodriguez.

If the deal becomes successful, it could see Coutinho come back to haunt his former side the Reds where he played over 200 matches, scoring 54 goals.

Barca are keen to place Coutinho on the market for a vastly reduced fee this summer as they desperately need to balance the books and look to reinvest the funds into the squad. 

Coutinho has made just 14 appearances following his return to the Camp Nou last summer under new boss Ronald Koeman.

He is currently out of action after suffering a horrendous knee injury last December, which appears to have ruled him out for the rest of this season.

He had a second operation in late March at this home country Brazil and further gave an update on his rehabilitation programme earlier this week via social media. 

"Every day is a new battle which demands my best!"... Coutinho wrote on Instagram. "The recovery is slow, it requires patience and dedication. Challenges always motivate me. 

"I am working hard and I am convinced that I will return to the best of my ability doing what I love the most. 

"GOD is with me and I am sure those who love me and my work are too! Thanks for all the positivity sent."

Meanwhile, a move to Everton is currently unlikely, as they want to be sure that the 2019 Copa America winner has recovered from all injuries before committing fully, but a deal is thought to have been agreed on paper ahead of the summer transfer window.