Aston Villa open transfer talks over 105-goal machine, Gerrard will be buzzing - opinion

Aston Villa have reportedly opened talks with Barcelona over making loanee Philippe Coutinho’s stay at Villa Park permanent this summer.

According to 90min, Villa are in talks with the Spanish giants over a potential permanent move after the Brazilian’s excellent start to life in the West Midlands.

The former Liverpool star has already scored four goals and assisted a further three in ten appearances for Steven Gerrard’s side, having swapped the Nou Camp for Villa Park in January for the remainder of the season.

However, Aston Villa are believed to have significant plans for the upcoming transfer window and the addition of the 29-year-old on a permanent basis would certainly fit into the category of ambitious signings.

The loan deal has a £34m option to buy which shouldn’t prove an issue, however, the Brazilian playmaker’s salary in Catalonia was just shy of £500k per week, something that the Villa hierarchy will have to overcome.

It’s no secret that the fact that Coutinho’s former captain at Liverpool was the Aston Villa manager acted as a contributing factor to the Brazilian’s return to England. Having known the 29-year-old very well already, Gerrard has been able to unlock the world-class ability the winger undoubtedly possesses but hasn’t displayed regularly since leaving Anfield.

Having joined Barcelona in January 2018 for a deal worth a whopping £142m, Coutinho has scored just 25 goals in 106 appearances for the Catalonian club.

Given his struggles, the 29-year-old joined Bayern Munich on loan for the 2019/20 campaign, scoring 11 goals in 38 appearances as the German heavyweights won the Champions League, with Coutinho playing in an 8-2 drubbing of his parent club in the semi-final.

The playmaker is of a certain