Arsenal 'cannot afford to sign Philippe Coutinho'

Arsenal will reportedly not be able to afford to sign Barcelona attacker Philippe Coutinho during this summer's transfer window.

The Brazil international is currently on loan at Bayern Munich but is due to return to Camp Nou next month following the German club's participation in the Champions League.

Barca are allegedly keen to sell Coutinho in order to raise funds for Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, and a recent report claimed that Arsenal were one of the clubs to be offered the South American.

However, according to The Mirror, Mikel Arteta's side are not in a position to pay upwards of £60m in a transfer fee, while Coutinho's substantial wages would be an issue.

The report also claims that paying a large loan fee for the former Liverpool playmaker is not feasible due to the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

The 28-year-old has been in relatively strong form for Bayern during the 2019-20 campaign, scoring nine times and contributing eight assists in 34 appearances in all competitions.