Arsenal have allegedly upped their efforts in the race to sign Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho.

With Bayern Munich unwilling to take up their option to keep the Brazilian on a permanent deal, Barcelona have been left to wait for offers from elsewhere.

Given their need to raise funds for new players and to balance the books, the Catalan giants are eager to sell the former Liverpool man.

However, according to reports in Spain, Arsenal have made contact with the La Liga runners-up to propose a loan agreement with the option to buy.

Although agreeing to that compromise would get the 28-year-old off the wage bill, it is suggested that Barcelona officials are not prepared to accept such a bid at this time.

Coutinho netted a double on Friday evening as Bayern thrashed his parent club by an 8-2 scoreline in the Champions League quarter-finals.