Tottenham Hotspur lead race to sign FC Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho

Tottenham Hotspur are in pole position to sign FC Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho on loan, according to reports.

The 27-year-old has failed to impress at the Camp Nou since his £142million transfer from Liverpool in January 2018.

And Sky Sports report that Spurs are favourites to bring the Brazil international to North London on a season-long loan deal.

Coutinho has been linked with a move all summer with it being claimed that the La Liga champions see him as surplus to requirements after just 75 matches.

Coutinho has struggled to make a real impact with Barcelona.

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However, despite speculation, no club has met Barca’s £80million asking price meaning they now look set to let him go on a temporary deal.

Mauricio Pochettino is still keen to add to his squad, which reached the Champions League final in May, before the window closes on August 8th.

And the Argentine knows Coutinho well from his time in charge of Espanyol, where the then Inter Milan playmaker enjoyed an impressive loan spell.

If Tottenham were to pull off a deal for the South American star, who scored 54 goals in 201 games for Liverpool, then it also backs up Sky Sports’ claim that Christian Eriksen could leave for Manchester United.