Espanyol keen to keep Inter starlet Coutinho

The 19-year-old Brazilian, who arrived at Cornella from the Italian giants in January, has impressed in his brief spell in La Liga; he scored a double in Sunday's 5-1 demolition of Rayo Vallecano to keep the ninth-placed side in the hunt for European qualification. The Rio de Janeiro-born playmaker has already expressed his desire to extend his stay with Mauricio Pochettino's men, citing the lack of playing time at Inter as a reason. "It could be that Coutinho stays with us," Planes told Inside Futbol magazine. "We need to talk to Inter, but we're going to at least try. It is not an impossible task," he asserted.