Tottenham set to challenge Chelsea in bid to seal Philippe Coutinho transfer from Barcelona – but Blues lead race

TOTTENHAM have reportedly joined Chelsea in the race for Barcelona flop Philippe Coutinho.

Sport claims Jose Mourinho wants to bring the ex-Liverpool star to north London after a shaky start to his tenure.

Coutinho is currently on loan at Bayern Munich and will return to Barca this summer.

However, the Spaniards want to re-sign Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain and are ready to ship Coutinho back to the Premier League.

Chelsea are understood to be very keen on the Brazilian playmaker.

Current No10 Willian looks set to depart on a free transfer when his contract expires.

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And Chelsea are hoping to land Coutinho on loan with the option of a permanent deal in 2021.

However, Frank Lampard must now contend with competition from ex-boss Mourinho as the pair battle to bring Coutinho to the capital.

It’s said Spurs have made their interest clear, but Chelsea are in pole position after already opening talks with Barcelona.

It’s also believed the Blues are ready to agree a compulsory £55million fee in the deal, something which Spurs are reluctant to do.

But either way, it now seems inevitable that Coutinho will end up back in the Premier League next season.

His agent Kia Joorabchian said: “It is something that he always enjoyed playing in and loved playing, and would probably love to come back and play in.

“The question is what are going to be the financial conditions of all the clubs, including Barcelona and the Premier League clubs at the end of this (coronavirus) pandemic?”