Chelsea set to beat Arsenal in Race to Sign Barcelona Star Philippe Coutinho

Major British sources believe that Premier League side Chelsea are closing in on an audacious deal to sign Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho in a big summer transfer deal.

The 27-year-old hasn’t exactly set the world on fire since his move from Liverpool to the Nou Camp back in January 2018 and has spent the 2019/20 season out on loan at German side Bayern Munich.

Barcelona invested a massive $175m to bring Coutinho to Catalonia, albeit a portion of that fee was set aside for certain criteria that may well have been reached, and now the La Liga side are ready to cut their losses.

Chelsea will pay around $90m for Coutinho during the summer transfer window or elect to sign the attacking midfielder on an initial loan spell, though they do face a late challenge from London neighbors Arsenal.

Frank Lampard may well feel he still hasn’t effectively replaced star performer Eden Hazard, who left for Real Madrid last summer, and could see Coutinho as an ideal player to fill the gap left by the Belgian’s departure.

Coutinho has racked up 21 goals in 76 appearances for Barcelona and has won the domestic title in both his two completed seasons with the club but it’s fair to say that he has underperformed for the club and may well be open to a fresh challenge.

One does wonder though if he is willing to move to another English side given his affiliation to Liverpool, the club that resurrected his career following a poor spell in Italy with Inter Milan.