Tottenham Hotspur 'to rival Arsenal for Philippe Coutinho deal'

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly joined the race for Barcelona attacker Philippe Coutinho.

The Brazil international is believed to be free to leave Camp Nou during the January transfer window, with the Catalan giants said to be prepared to listen to offers in the region of £16m.

Arsenal have been strongly linked with the playmaker, who has allegedly made it clear to the Gunners that he is interested in moving to the Emirates Stadium before the end of the month.

However, according to El Nacional, there is also genuine interest from Tottenham, with sporting director Fabio Paratici and head coach Antonio Conte viewing him as the ideal mid-season signing.

Coutinho - also linked with Everton - has made 16 appearances for Barcelona during the 2021-22 campaign, contributing two goals in the process.

The South American has largely struggled to make his mark for the Catalan outfit since arriving from Liverpool in January 2018, and he spent the 2019-20 campaign on loan at Bayern Munich.

The attacker now has 18 months left to run on his contract with Xavi's side.