'Aston Villa in talks' to sign 'magical' player who once scored against them at Wembley

Aston Villa are now in talks with Barcelona over a permanent deal for Philippe Coutinho, according to 90Min’s Graeme Bailey. 

In January, Coutinho moved from Catalonia to the Midlands on a short-term loan. Under the agreement, Villa reportedly have the option to buy the Brazilian for £33million at the end of the season.

Coutinho has scored four goals and provided three assists in his first ten appearances in claret and blue.

Only two players – Danny Ings (ten) and Ollie Watkins (eight) – have recorded more goal involvements over the entire season for Villa.

Bailey wrote on Twitter that ‘Aston Villa [are] in talks’ with Barcelona as they bid to sign Coutinho long-term.

In his attached story, he writes that the player’s form has caught the eye of ‘rival Premier League clubs’ but Villa are ‘optimistic’ that they can overcome any hurdles and win the race.

Those hurdles include Coutinho’s near £500,000-per-week salary (including bonuses) – the 29-year-old apparently knows he’ll have to take a pay cut if he’s to secure a move to Villa Park.

Villa are looking to wrap up a deal in advance of the summer so they can move on to other priorities.

Gerrard called Coutinho ‘magical’ during their time together at Liverpool, which lasted two and a half years.

His 54 goals for the Reds included one against Villa in the FA Cup semifinal at Wembley, though Tim Sherwood’s side did go on to win the game 2-1.

To this day, Gerrard continues to fawn over the attacking midfielder, recently describing him as both a ‘quality footballer‘ and ‘a great human being‘, so you’d imagine that he’s pushing the club very hard to clinch the deal and see off any competitors.

The 41-year-old will also be well aware that Villa will be an even more attractive