Villa seal Coutinho deal

PHILIPPE COUTINHO has sealed a permanent switch to Aston Villa for about £17million after successful talks between the Premier League side and his parent club Barcelona. The Brazilian has been on loan at Villa Park since January, scoring four goals and providing three assists, though his form has subsided a little in recent weeks. Villa’s original option to buy was £33million but it is understood the final fee is substantially lower after the clubs agreed to renegotiate it. Coutinho will become the highest-paid player at the club. There had been interest in Coutinho from other European clubs, but Villa boss steven Gerrard’s close relationship proved a decisive factor. Gerrard pushed strongly to sign Coutinho, 29, and the signing shows the influence he exerts at the club. Sportsmail reported on Monday that a deal was imminent and Villa made the announcement yesterday evening. Gerrard and Coutinho played together at Liverpool and Coutinho has shown flashes of the form that persuaded Barcelona to pay £142m for him in 2018. The spanish club needed to get rid of some of their higher earners in order to be competitive in the transfer market this summer.