Aston Villa could be priced out of permanent deal for Philippe Coutinho – report
Aston Villa may be priced out of a permanent deal to sign loan star Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona in the summer, according to The Mirror.
The newspaper reported via their print edition today [19 April, page 52] that Steven Gerrard “would love” to sign the 29-year-old permanently but the Brazilian’s wages could prove to be a major stumbling block.
It is understood that Villa have the option to buy Coutinho for £33million but the playmaker’s contract at the Nou Camp is worth a staggering £400,000-a-week. Villa only pay £125,000-a-week of that as it stands.
The Mirror claims that while Coutinho would be receptive to a pay cut, he still might demand more money than what Aston Villa would be willing to pay.
Expected
Coutinho’s wages at Barcelona are ridiculous, in all honesty.
You could probably count on one hand how many clubs in the world would be able to afford a player £400,000-a-week and despite their wealthy owners, Aston Villa are not one of them.
It’s going to be down to Coutinho, ultimately.
Does he want to rot away at the Nou Camp, which seems like a very toxic place to be right now?
Or does he want to cut down on his wages, play for a former teammate who adores him and for a fanbase that loves him too?
Unfortunately for Villa, there will be other clubs who’ll want to sign Coutinho in the summer transfer window.
Coutinho has done well at Villa Park but could do a lot better and you get the feeling that he is being held back a bit by his teammates.
Gerrard needs to add a lot of strength to this squad in the summer but the Liverpool legend’s last couple of transfer windows at Rangers suggest that there may need to be some patience involved.
In other Aston Villa news, Juventus are eyeing up Emi Martinez.