Philippe Coutinho Would 'Love to Stay' at Bayern Munich Following Loan Transfer

Philippe Coutinho has said he would "love to stay" at Bayern Munich when his loan spell at the club ends this summer, though it's uncertain whether Die Roten will be as eager to invest in his transfer.

Coutinho, 27, joined Bayern on a season-long loan from Barcelona this past summer, but the Brazilian has struggled to seize the opportunity.

Speaking at a recent Christmas fan event, he told reporters: "I feel really good. I'm planning to stay here for a year and focus on the here and now. But if it all hangs together, I'd love to stay."

Coutinho has started in 12 of his 18 appearances across all competitions with Bayern. He came off the bench for a 20-minute cameo as Bayern fell 2-1 at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, their third defeat in 13 league games already this term (UK viewers only):

Interim manager Hansi Flick is at the club's helm following Niko Kovac's dismissal at the start of November, but it's possible a new coach will be appointed before the end of this season.

Per Jose Carlos Menzel of AS, Bayern would have to pay the €120 million (£102.2 million) clause in Coutinho's loan contract to make his deal permanent next summer.

However, the chances of that seem slim considering the club's current record signing, Lucas Hernandez, cost €80 million. Bayern's closest player expense after that is €41.5 million Corentin Tolisso, showing just how rare it is for the club to spend so heavily.

Coutinho has scored three times in those 18 outings for Bayern thus far, the most recent of which came during their 4-0 annihilation of Fortuna Dusseldorf (U.S. only):

The South American complimented Flick's coaching and added: "We've understood well how his way of coaching and playing. Things are going well because of that. Flick makes everyone feel important. We're happy but aware there's a lot of work to do."

In total, Coutinho has had eight direct goal involvements since he moved to the Allianz Arena, not to mention his buildup play from midfield often leads to an end product in front of goal (UK only):

The player has proved useful thanks to his versatility, regularly swapping between wings and playing through more central avenues when required.

Coutinho appears to be enjoying his time in Bavaria thus far, but the financial complications make it difficult to imagine a permanent transfer materialising in 2020.

Fourth-placed Bayern travel to face Bundesliga leaders Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday, when the defending champions and Coutinho hope to claw their way back to top form.