Arsenal considering £18m loan deal for Barcelona star?

Arsenal could reportedly pay a fee of around £18m to sign Philippe Coutinho on a season-long loan from Barcelona this summer.

Coutinho is currently on a temporary deal at Bayern Munich where he has impressed with nine goals and eight assists in all competitions.

Still, he is expected to return to the Camp Nou next month with the Bavarian giants deciding against the option to buy for £105m.

According to Sport, the Blaugrana are struggling to find a permanent buyer for Coutinho and could be willing to sanction another loan move.

The Gunners are said to be leading the race to sign the attacker and they are giving consideration to paying £18m for a year-long loan.

It is added that the Blaugrana want any interested club to cover up the majority of the player's £200,000-a-week wages next season.

Coutinho's agent Kia Joorabchian has good links with the Arsenal hierarchy and that could increase the Gunners' chances of signing him.