Philippe Coutinho wants to return to the Premier League after Barcelona agreed to let him leave the club.
The playmaker is eager to return to where he became a world star and Liverpool, Man United, Tottenham and Arsenal are all keen.
He previously lit up the Premier League with a series of dazzling Liverpool displays and earned a £142million transfer to Barcelona in 2018 as a result.
As French news outlet L’Équipe reported, Arsenal are interested in a loan deal, but talkSPORT understands three other rivals are also trying to make a deal happen.
The English quartet have until 5pm on Thursday – when the transfer window closes – to complete the move.
A move to Spurs, who also hold an interest in Bruno Fernandes and Giovani Lo Celso, is likely to signal Christian Eriksen’s exit, with the Dane linked to Man United.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is understood to be looking for another midfielder given the uncertainty surrounding Paul Pogba, though swapping Camp Nou for Old Trafford would not go down well at Anfield where he still holds a special place in Liverpool fans’ hearts.
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Coutinho joined Liverpool in 2013 for a bargain £8.5m and in 201 games, scored 54 goals – many of them stunners – and cemented his place as a vital part of the side that narrowly missed out on Premier League glory in 2014.
Arsenal have been active in the market and have signed Dani Cebellos and Nicolas Pepe, with a move for Coutinho likely to end any hope of Wilfried Zaha joining from Crystal Palace.
The Gunners also bought William Saliba from Saint-Etienne but he has returned to the Ligue 1 side on loan.
The signing of Coutinho would represent a coup for any of the Premier League sides.
So far in the 27-year-old’s short career, he has won two league titles and the Copa del Rey, scoring 21 goals and recording 11 assists in 75 Barcelona games.
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