Chelsea have moved ahead of Arsenal in the race to sign Philippe Coutinho as Barceloan have finally agreed to a loan deal for the Brazilian.

The former Liverpool star has been widely linked with a return to the Premier League ahead of the 2020-21 season.

Barcelona will request a minimum offer of €10m from any English club looking to secure a loan move for Coutinho.

However, due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, clubs are unlikely to match Barcelona’s €80m asking price.

Coutinho has spent the 2019-20 campaign on loan at Bundesliga superpower Bayern Munich, but the German club have opted against activating their €120m purchase clause.

Any potential future loan will now include, according to Football Espana, an obligatory purchase clause, rumoured to be set at €70m.

According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan giants are now willing to facilitate a second successive loan move.

The Express claim Arsenal and Chelsea are vying for Coutinho’s signature, but the Blues are the frontrunners.

Coutinho’s agent Kia Joorabchian has made it clear his client favours a return to the Premier League after producing his best football at Liverpool.