Arsenal plot Coutinho move

Premier League giants Arsenal are reportedly in talks with the agent of Philippe Coutinho, Kia Joorabchian, ahead of the summer transfer window.

Coutinho is out of favour at Barcelona and will be in search of a new club when he returns from his loan spell with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

The former Liverpool playmaker has been linked with a handful of Premier League clubs already in the past few months, with Chelsea, Everton, Tottenham and Newcastle all keeping tabs on the Brazilian.

Ahead of a possible restart of the season, The Mirror reports that Arsenal have reportedly moved in front of other suitors, with manager Mikel Arteta keen to strengthen his side ahead of next campaign.

Coutinho’s agent Joorabchian is a long-time Arsenal fan, and good friends with Gunners’ technical director Edu.

This appears to put Arsenal in a good position if they are genuinely interested in signing Coutinho.

But it seems Joorabchian would only sanction the transfer if he is convinced Coutinho is 100 per cent happy with the deal – regardless of his affiliation with the club.