Aston Villa buy Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona for €20m

  /  hiskko

Romero: Aston Villa buy Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona for €20m

Barcelona are willing to take a financial 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.

Coutinho has had a quiet end to the season at Villa Park but made a quick first impression when he first joined and has netted four goals since arriving in January, providing three assists.

He featured against his former club Liverpool on Tuesday night, playing 70 minutes before being replaced by Emiliano Buendia in the 2-1 home defeat.

His impressive form this season has seen him being linked with both Arsenal and Newcastle, but Villa boss Steven Gerrard has made it clear he wanted him to remain on the club's books next season.

Related: Aston Villa Barcelona Coutinho
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