Aston Villa are in prime position to sign Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho, who has spent the last four months on loan in Birmingham, but it appears Newcastle United are hoping to steal the Brazilian away from under their noses.
There is a €40m buy clause in his loan deal from Barcelona, but rumours were that the Catalans would have been willing to accept around €20m to get the Brazilian off their books. Arriving for €135m in January 2018, Coutinho has struggled to settle in Barcelona since arriving, never really finding a good fit.
Since returning to the Premier League, Coutinho’s form has improved, even if he has been inconsistent, contributing 3 goals and 4 assists in 15 appearances for Steven Gerrard. He is also clearly much happier in England than in Spain.
Goal are now reporting that Newcastle United are looking to tempt Coutinho north. Although Aston Villa have first refusal on Coutinho, there’s little doubt that Newcastle would be able to offer larger wages. Perhaps something approaching his deal at Barcelona.
With Bruno Guimaraes already on the books and the club linked with Victor Osimhen, the pursuit of Coutinho shows a willingness to bring in quality as quickly as possible on Tyneside. Both Guimaraes and Osimhen have been courted by the great and the good of European football, while Coutinho still has aspirations of going to the World Cup with Brazil.