Arsenal have been handed a boost in their reported pursuit of Philippe Coutinho.
The Gunners have been heavily linked with a move for the former Liverpool attacker, with a potential loan move from Barcelona being mooted.
Coutinho's time at Barcelona since his 2018 move from Anfield has no been a success and he has spent this year on loan at Bayern Munich.
Despite nine goals in 35 appearances for the German champions, his stint at Bayern has proved to be hit and miss.
Arsenal's hopes of landing Coutinho do, however, hinge on whether Bayern wish to keep him next season.
Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has now handed the Gunners a boost by confirming that Coutinho will leave the Bundesliga side when his loan expires.
He said: "Coutinho - as I said, the contract is running out and we cannot and will not make any further investments of this magnitude."
Bayern had already let a €120million option to buy Coutinho expire in May but, at that point, Rummenigge did not entirely rule out the prospect of the player staying next season.
It appears that he will now be available, though, with Bayern not set to pursue the Brazilian's signing - whether on a permanent, or on a loan - any further.
The Gunners have reportedly agreed personal terms with Coutinho over a potential move to the Emirates for next season.
Coutinho's agent, Kia Joorabchian, has previously revealed that the player would like to return to the Premier League.
Yet he confirmed that any transfer will be likely be delayed until Bayern's Champions League run has come to an end.
He told talkSPORT: "Because the Champions League is going to run all the way until August 23, I think it’s going to be very difficult for players like Coutinho to make any commitments or any moves pre that date.
"He loves playing in the Premier League, he adored playing in the Premier league, and I think that’s one of his priorities. But he’s also not at all against staying at Barcelona. So it’s still very much open."
