Arsenal report: Agent of Barcelona star wants his client to join Gunners ahead of Tottenham
Chelsea have four defenders out of contract next summer and one is close to leaving
Arsenal is the preferred destination of Philippe Coutinho as the Barcelona man seeks a move in January, according to reports.
The Brazilian is desperate to seal an exit from the Camp Nou as soon as possible.
His dream move to the Catalan giants in January 2018 quickly became a nightmare, with Coutinho failing to live up to his £142m transfer fee.
The attacking midfielder continues to struggle for game time at Barcelona, where he has yet to convince new manager Xavi Hernandez of his worth.
Coutinho has started just five matches in La Liga this term, and only one of those came after Xavi replaced Ronald Koeman at the helm.
The 29-year-old played the best football of his career in the Premier League.
But while a second spell at Liverpool is highly unlikely, Coutinho is keen to return to the English game.
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According to Sport, the player's representatives have been in contact with Arsenal over a potential January move.
The Gunners are said to have enquired about the terms of any such deal, and Coutinho's agents are planning to travel to England for more talks.
Fichajes have claimed that the purported move has the backing of Mikel Arteta.
And while Tottenham and Newcastle have also been linked with the ex-Liverpool man, Arsenal is the club he would like to join most.
These rumours should probably be taken with a pinch of salt, however.
There is no obvious place in the Arsenal team for Coutinho, with Martin Odegaard excelling at No.10 and Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka in fine form as wide forwards.
Emile Smith Rowe has also been playing well of late, despite often starting as a substitute.
Arsenal have sought to lower the average of their squad in recent transfer windows.
They have focused their recruitment on young, up-and-coming, hungry players, and signing Coutinho - even on loan - would mark a departure from that.
The Brazilian may well be desperate to return to the Premier League, but a second spell in the division might not come with Arsenal.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).