Barcelona manager Quique Setien has said Philippe Coutinho is part of his plans next season amid speculation linking the Brazilian midfielder with a return to the Premier League.
Coutinho was a big-money signing in January 2018 but has so far struggled to justify the initial £105 million (Dh478m) fee Barcelona paid Liverpool.
After 18 months at Camp Nou, the 27-year-old Brazil international joined Bayern Munich on a season-long loan deal, although reports in Germany claim the Bundesliga champions will not look to make the deal permanent.
Interest in Coutinho remains high, though, with Premier League clubs Chelsea and Tottenham both linked, but Setien believes the playmaker's future will be at Barcelona.
"I think Coutinho is a great player," Setien, who took charge at Barcelona in January following the departure of Ernesto Valverde, told RAC1 radio. "I like him a lot. He's a player who, in principle, is Barcelona's.
"Any team that wants him has to pay his clause (which is set at €400m) or a certain amount to Barca.
"I'm counting on him [possibly] being here at the start of next season. I don't know what he wants to do. Perhaps I have to speak to him and ask him. He is a great player, without doubt."
Coutinho has so far played 76 games for Barcelona, scoring 21 goals and creating 11 assists, while during his loan spell at Bayern he has scored nine goals and created eight assists in 32 appearances.
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The long read: how player power and politics made for a perfect storm at Barcelona
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
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15 years, 235 days old
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15 years, 271 days old
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Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
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Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
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Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
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Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
