Journalist says Villa may need to sell 'outstanding' £19.8m-rated gem in order to sign Coutinho

Selling Matty Cash to Atletico Madrid could allow Aston Villa to sign Philippe Coutinho permanently, transfer insider Dean Jones says. 

Fabrizio Romano revealed in February that Atletico are ‘seriously interested’ in signing Villa right-back Cash, who’s scored three goals and provided four assists this season.

‘Direct contacts’ took place between the two clubs during the January transfer window, he said, and Cash remains on the reigning Spanish champions’ list.

Coutinho, meanwhile, is currently on loan at Villa Park from Atletico’s La Liga rivals Barcelona.

Villa will have the option to buy the Brazilian in the summer, but it will cost them £33million.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones said it would be a ‘shame’ for Villa to see Cash go but thinks it could prove to be a ‘win-win’ for all parties if Villa put the funds to good use.

“It’d be a shame to lose Matty Cash, but you can understand why he might also be interested in that move,” he said.

“And if it allowed Villa to bring in Coutinho on a permanent basis, then it’s a win-win for everyone.”

It’s somewhat surprising to hear that Villa may need to sell to buy.

After all, they have one of the highest net spends in Europe over the last decade, eclipsing the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich – perhaps that’s finally beginning to catch up with them.

In addition to Coutinho, Villa are also said to be intent on signing Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United in a deal that could cost them a whopping £60million.

The sale of Cash, an ‘outstanding’ player in the words of former Villa boss Tim Sherwood, could cover around a third of that sum if his £19.8million Transfermarkt valuation proves to be accurate.

In other news, Gregg Evans celebrated this Villa development.

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