Aston Villa make an initial offer of just £12m for Philippe Coutinho as they open talks with Barcelona about signing the Brazilian on a cut-price deal – with Catalans willing to sell at less than agreed £33m to get him off wage bill
Aston Villa have opened negotiations with Barcelona to sign Philippe Coutinho The 29-year-old attacking midfield star is on loan at the Premier League club Their agreement with the Spanish club had an option to buy set for a £33millionIt is understood they’ve made an initial offer of around £12m; no fee is agreed yet
Aston Villa are confident of agreeing a cut-price deal for attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho after opening talks with the Spanish giants.
Manager Steven Gerrard made it clear at the weekend that he still wants to sign the 29-year-old on a permanent deal after an impressive spell on loan from Barcelona, scoring four goals and recording three assists in the league since his January move.
Their initial agreement with the Spanish club had an option to buy at the end of the season, set for £33million.
Aston Villa have opened talks with Barcelona to sign on-loan star Philippe Coutinho (pictured)
Villa, managed by Coutinho’s former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard (left), are understood to have made an initial offer of £12m
Villa are understood to have made an initial offer of around £12million – but no fee is agreed yet and talks between the clubs are ongoing. Reports in Spain suggest Barcelona might be willing to do business for as little as £12.9m.
Cash-strapped Barcelona are willing to take a hit to move the Brazilian’s sizeable salary off their books. The Catalans need to remove some of the higher earners in order to have room for manoeuvre in the transfer market this season.
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