Super agent addresses Newcastle United speculation

The club’s prospective new owners have been linked with a move for Coutinho, who is on loan at Bayern Munich from Barcelona.

Coutinho joined Barcelona from Liverpool in January 2018, and the 27-year-old will reportedly be moved on permanently from the Nou Camp this summer.

The midfielder is sidelined following ankle surgery, and will not be involved in this weekend’s Bundesliga restart.

Asked about Coutinho’s longer-term future, agent Kia Joorabchian told talkSPORT: "Philippe, at the moment, is at Bayern, but he's sidelined at the moment.

"He's had an injury. He had an operation two weeks ago on his ankle, and he’s six weeks for recovery for that, which unfortunately means he'll probably miss a chunk of the Bundesliga. Hopefully, he'll be fit for the tail end of the season.

“At the moment we’ve not spoken to anybody about any deals whatsoever.

"I think, at the moment everyone's concentration is on this (coronavirus) pandemic, and how football can restart in a safe and secure environment and the health of safety of everybody. The transfer side of things, and where Philippe will go, or where other players will go, will come into play further down the line when things have got back to some sort of normality."

The proposed £300million takeover of Newcastle, which is 80% funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is with the Premier League for their owners’ and directors’ test.