Chelsea lead Arsenal in the race to sign Coutinho on loan from Barcelona

Chelsea is leading Arsenal in the race to sign Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho on loan, according to report.

The report in the Daily Express says the Blues have emerged as the favourite to land Brazilian playmaker Coutinho after Bayern Munich expressed their desire of not signing him on a permanent basis.

The Brazilian playmaker was sent on loan to Bayern Munich but the German Champions are not interested in signing the former Liverpool star.

The Liga Champions are willing to count their cost and willing to take a massive hit on the £105m they paid upfront for the 27-year-old and could accept as little as £80m.

With the coronavirus crisis, just a few clubs will be willing to spend much on a player that failed to convince at two different clubs in the space of three seasons.

Chelsea and Arsenal are prepared to test waters before they discuss a permanent transfer deal with Barcelona, Blues manager FrankLampard is keen on signing a big name player for Chelsea.

For this part, Barcelona has indicated they are maybe willing to do business on another loan deal, but it will cost a loan fee of £10m-plus all of his £250,000-a-week wages.