Chelsea Boosted Ahead of Aggressive Competitors Over Philippe Coutinho

The race for Barcelona superstar Philippe Coutinho has been tightened as several teams have already shown their interest for the Brazillian.

Manchester United, PSG and Chelsea had earlier shown interest and Juventus being the latest to demand the services of Coutinho. Focus is now on the team with money ready to place for Barcelona.

Chelsea have been handed a massive boost in their bid to sign Philippe Coutinho as a replacement for Eden Hazard if their transfer ban is delayed, according to reports in Spain.

The Brazil international has struggled to shine at Camp Nou since his €160 million (£142m) move from Liverpool last summer and is reportedly considering his future.

Last week, reports claimed that Coutinho has already told his Brazil teammates during the international break that leaving Barcelona is a genuine possibility at the end of the season.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have already launched an appeal to the FIFA Appeals Committee after being hit with a transfer ban for two windows for breaching rules relating to overseas players under the age of 18.

And according to Sport, Chelsea are planning to use the transfer fee they receive from Hazard to fund a move for Coutinho.

The report also claims that Coutinho would welcome the chance to play for Chelsea as he would link up with Willian and David Luiz, as well as Brazil-born duo Jorginho and Emerson Palmieri.

But Chelsea, who are hopeful that their transfer ban will be delayed, will face competition from both Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.

PSG attempted to sign Coutinho ahead of Barcelona in the summer of 2017, while United have reportedly begun talks to sign the 26-year-old.