Chelsea have reportedly made the first move in the race to sign Philippe Coutinho this summer.
The attacking midfielder joined Barcelona from Liverpool in a deal worth £145m two years ago.
Things did not go to plan for the Brazilian, who failed to make a big impact at the Nou Camp and was subsequently loaned out to Bayern Munich in the summer.
Coutinho has done well in Germany but Sport say the Bundesliga giants are unwilling to exercise their £105m option to buy him at the end of his spell.