Aston Villa have reportedly entered into negotiations with Barcelona over the permanent signing of on-loan star Philippe Coutinho.
Coutinho has been plying his trade at Villa since January, following a tough period at Barcelona. The Brazilian moved to the Spanish giants in a £142million transfer in 2018.
However, he never truly reached the form expected of him for La Blaugrana. The attacking midfielder contributed to 49 goals in 106 games at Barcelona, but more was anticipated of him following the big-money move from Liverpool.
The former Bayern Munich loanee was afforded the opportunity of a fresh start at Aston Villa in January. Former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard convinced Coutinho to join his project at Villa Park.
The star immediately hit form, with four goal contributions in his first three games. That haul included a goal and two assists in a 3-3 draw with Leeds United.
To this point, Coutinho has four goals and three assists in 10 games in a Villa shirt. As such, he appears to be relishing his time back in the Premier League.
Villa have the opportunity to land the Brazilian permanently for £33million. A 90min report states the Midlands outfit have entered into negotiations with Barcelona over that deal.
Clearly, Villa are more than happy with the impact Coutinho has had, given they have entered into negotiations so soon. Furthermore, it is likely they want to beat any rival bidders to the punch.
They will be hopeful that they can pull off the snare without any snags.
Indeed, a deal should be easy for Villa to complete. Barcelona seemingly want to get Coutinho’s wages off the books, and Villa want to land the star.
Hefty contract potential snag in Coutinho deal
The only potential sticking point in a deal would be the wages Coutinho currently earns. The Brazilian reportedly makes £500,000-per-week at Barcelona.
Villa are unlikely to want to, or even be able to, pay that sort of money for one player.
As such, the attacking midfielder would have to take a pay cut to join Gerrard’s side permanently.
The report states that a long-term contract offer for Coutinho should be enough to secure the deal.
READ MORE: ‘Comfortable and motivated’ Coutinho reveals Aston Villa ambitions following easy transition
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