Arsenal hatch plan to wreck Aston Villa transfer dream despite agreement

Arsenal are reportedly considering a move for Philippe Coutinho this summer as part of a plan to revamp their attacking options.

According to Fichajes, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is keen on adding Coutinho to the squad having been linked with the playmaker before he made the move to Villa in the January window.

Arteta has watched Coutinho make an instant impact at Villa Park where last week he registered two assists and scored his second goal for the club in a 3-3 draw against Leeds.

Villa are understood to have first option on Coutinho as part of the agreement that brought him to the club and it is claimed that a fee of £33m would be enough to clinch his signature.

West Ham and Newcastle are also reportedly monitoring Coutinho's situation and according to reports both they and the Gunners are keen to hijack the move.

And it has been reported that Barcelona are not bothered about who they sell him to given they are keen to get him off the wage bill having paid Liverpool £142m for his services in 2018.

However, Villa would appear to be in the driving seat given Steven Gerrard's relationship with the player having been former team-mates at Anfield.