Aston Villa: Gerrard could 'disappoint fans' by signing £215k-a-week star

Aston Villa signing James Rodriguez and not keeping hold of Philippe Coutinho this summer would be a “double blow”, claims journalist Dean Jones.

The Midlands club are currently being linked with Rodriguez, while they are yet to buy Coutinho, who arrived on loan from Barcelona in January, outright.

According to one report from Spain, Villa are a possible destination for Rodriguez, who is said to be looking to leave Al-Rayyan despite only joining the Qatari side last year on a rumoured £215,000-a-week contract.

That same report claims the €40m (£30m) buy option Villa have in their loan agreement with Barcelona for Coutinho is an issue, hence why they are now considering Rodriguez.

While the Brazilian’s form has dipped in recent weeks, he arguably proved that he is well worth the above fee at the start of his loan spell.

In his first 10 games as a Villa player, Coutinho was involved in seven goals, something he has not quite been able to build on after a quiet April.

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Jones is not convinced by the idea of Villa letting £18m-rated Coutinho go and bringing £13.5m-rated Rodriguez in as a replacement, describing it as a potential double blow.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the transfer insider said: “I imagine Villa fans will be disappointed if they end up with James instead of Coutinho because one, they’ll be judging him on his reputation and what they’ve seen from him at Everton, particularly in the latter stages of his time at Everton, and they won’t be very optimistic about what’s to come.

“And two, they’ve also seen flashes of Coutinho’s brilliance and know that they might have something special there if they can