Phillips says Villa have ‘problem’ with Coutinho transfer decision

Aston Villa would love to sign Philippe Coutinho on a permanent deal this summer after how well he’s performed since joining on loan from Barcelona in January, but the 29-year-old will have to take a sizeable wage cut to complete the €40m (£33.6m) move.

Villa are paying Coutinho £125k-per-week for the remainder of his loan spell, but he earns £480k-per-week/£25m-a-year at Barcelona. It’s unlikely the Midlands outfit will match that figure, but Kevin Phillips believes Villa ‘could upset the dressing room’ if they break their wage structure to sign him.

He told Football Insider: “We know the owners of the club are very, very wealthy. I can see players going to the board after Coutinho comes in and saying: ‘I want that sort of money. If he’s on it, I want it.’ It could upset the dressing room. That’s the only problem I can see with that deal.”

Coutinho has made nine Premier League appearances for Villa this season, scoring four goals with three assists. The Brazilian international has made 16 successful dribbles and created 14 chances, so Villa understandably want him to stay beyond the summer.

Coutinho’s wages may prove a stumbling block, however, as there’s no player at Villa Park earning more than £120k-per-week/£6.24m-a-year, so the board have a difficult decision to make in the coming months. There’s no doubt the 29-year-old would improve the side’s chances of attaining a spot in Europe, but at what cost?

In other news, Frank McAvennie says Aston Villa can sign ‘brilliant’ Philippe Coutinho this summer