Chelsea make contact with Barcelona star

Chelsea have reportedly made contact with the representative of Philippe Coutinho ahead of a potential move for the Barcelona attacker.

Coutinho has struggled to make a strong impression during his time at the Camp Nou and he has been linked with a Premier League return ahead of next season.

The Brazilian is presently on a season-long loan at Bayern Munich where he has contributed eight goals and six assists in the Bundesliga but the German side clearly don't have the intention of signing him permanently.

According to Sport, the Blues are already in contact with agent Kia Joorabchian and they are optimistic that they can seal the signature of Coutinho during the summer transfer window.

The Blaugrana have reduced their asking price of Coutinho from £90m to £70m and Frank Lampard's side will be aiming to beat the likes of Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United to the player's services.

Coutinho has more than three years left on his current Barcelona deal.