West Ham United could be about to pull off one of the shock transfers of the summer by signing £33m rated star Philippe Coutinho.
Coutinho, who is on loan from Spanish giants Barcelona, has a £33m price attached to his loan deal with Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa which West Ham are prepared to take full advantage of.
Spanish outlet Sport have reported the Brazilian playmaker is subject to interest from a number of Premier League clubs, most notably Villa and Arsenal.
However, with an ambitious project in place and a need to improve their current squad options to break into the top six monopoly long-term, Coutinho is on The Hammers radar for a bid which would usurp both Villa and Arsenal in a deal.
Since returning to the Premier League, former Liverpool star Coutinho has scored four goals and registered three assists, more than trebling his contributions to Barcelona in just over half the games played.
The main problem for any interested party is likely to be his wages. It will be a significant climb down from the riches he earns at Barcelona but based on his recent outings it appears he would be worth every penny.