FC Barcelona have named their demands for if Aston Villa want to sign Philippe Coutinho this summer, with the Catalan side setting a €40m (£34m) price tag for the Brazilian.
According to CalcioMercato, the La Liga giants are open to selling Coutinho at the end of this season, with the playmaker impressing at Villa since reuniting with Steven Gerrard in the January transfer window.
Coutinho has been one of the in-form players in the Premier League since arriving at Villa Park, and as per the report, the Birmingham-based club are willing to meet Barcelona’s £34m demands for Coutinho this summer.
The European side are desperate to offload Coutinho, who is one of Barcelona’s highest-paid players and is not part of Xavi Hernandez’s long-term plans for the club, yet for Villa, the Brazilian has already become a cult hero.
Indeed, Coutinho has firmly replaced Jack Grealish in a way the likes of Emi Buendia and Leon Bailey have failed to do so, with the former Liverpool star bringing that sparkle of magic to the attacking third for Gerrard’s side.
And with Barcelona now setting their demands, Villa are now in the clear to sign Coutinho for good this summer, a decision that will win Gerrard and the club’s owners plenty of plaudits if they can pull off the transfer.
Villa need to match Barcelona’s demands for Coutinho
Coutinho has been a revelation at Villa since his arrival, and whilst the Villains remain in the bottom half of the table, there’s no denying that the 29-year-old is giving fans hope that the club can go somewhere if he signs permanently from Barcelona.
After all, Coutinho is arguably the biggest-name player to wear the claret of Villa for a long time, and with Barcelona setting a reasonable fee for the attacker, the Midlands-based side have to match what the La Liga side are demanding for the talented Brazilian this summer.
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