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Aston Villa have reportedly agreed to a deal with Barcelona for the permanent transfer of attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho.
The 29-year-old has enjoyed a successful loan spell at the Villans. He has scored four times and provided three assists in 15 appearances since his return to the Premier League in January.
Spanish transfer expert Gerard Romero has reported that the Brazilian international will move to Aston Villa for €20 million, plus a 50% sell-on fee.
The deal seems like a real bargain for the Midlands club. They had originally negotiated a £33 million optional fee with the Blaugrana upon Coutinho's temporary arrival.
Villa have reportedly been able to get the deal over the line due to the player having the same agent as manager Steven Gerrard, who was also Coutinho's teammate during their Liverpool days.
The playmaker's time at Barcelona has been an outright disaster since his move from the Reds in 2018. The Guardian reported that he cost the Spanish giants up to £142 million in transfer fees, as well as an extra £12.1 million per season in wages.
The Brazilian is still the club's most expensive ever player. He is also the club's third most expensive player in football, having originally been brought in by Barca as a direct replacement for Neymar.
It's safe to say Barca fans welcomed the news of the South American's departure, although some took to Twitter to vent their frustrations at the club for accepting such a low offer. Here are some of the reactions:
Steven Gerrard insists Aston Villa want to sign Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona
Following an excellent start to his loan spell at Villa, Coutinho has been more subdued in recent weeks. He was left out of Gerrard's starting lineup during his side's 3-1 victory against Burnley last time out.
Despite that, Gerrard insisted that the club would do everything in their power to bring the maestro to the former European champions on a permanent basis. The Villa boss said after the victory at Turf Moor (as quoted by The Express):
“We want Philippe Coutinho here for sure. As a club, we want to be in a place where games come thick and fast. Phil understood the decision, he has played a lot. There are no egos here."
Gerrard also stated in March:
"When he's comfortable, he's happy and he's enjoying his football, we all know we're dealing with a world-class talent."
