Chelsea’s decision to pursue the transfer of Philippe Coutinho in a potential club-record deal has been met with fierce criticism from Gary Neville.
Spanish publication Sport claimed on Wednesday that Coutinho is ‘keen’ to return to the Premier League and that Chelsea ‘are working on building a team’ to challenge Liverpool and Manchester City.
The report added that the Blues ‘have begun talks over a deal’ with Barcelona, although they ‘have no intention’ of spending lavish amounts.
However, the alleged £75m fee has drawn criticism from Neville, who thinks the timing could not be worse given senior Chelsea players are currently in talks with the board about a wage referral.
“It’s like a parallel universe,” he told Sky Sports. “[Blues captain] Cesar Azpilicueta has apparently been in talks with the Chelsea board over the past three weeks as they’re looking for a 10/15 per cent pay cut.
“For the Chelsea players to hear in the next breathe that the club are looking to buy Philippe Coutinho for £75m… it’s like, ‘what one is it?’
“If I was a player now I’d be looking at a wage deferral that potentially turns into a cut at a certain point in time.
“But if the club increase their budget or sign a player for £75m, you have to pay our money first.
