Barcelona And Aston Villa Reach Agreement For The Permanent Transfer Of Coutinho.

 Barcelona and Aston Villa have reached an agreement for the permanent transfer of Philippe Coutinho to the English club for a fee of 20 million euros, as well as reserving 50 percent of any future sale.

Coutinho reportedly took a huge wage reduction to secure his exit from Barcelona and remain at Aston Villa on a four-year deal.

The Brazilian has impressed under Steven Gerrard at Villa Park after joining the club on a six-month loan deal in January scoring seven goals in 16 Premier League appearances, as he looks to get back into the Brazil national team ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

 

Villa boss Steven Gerrard stated his desire to keep the 29-year-old in recent weeks having connected very well with the fans.

Coutinho’s purchase clause of €40m in the original loan deal was rejected by Villa who were not willing to pay that amount and Barcelona agreed to accept a €20m fee, but retained a 50% clause on him for any future transfer.

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He joined Barcelona in January 2018 for €160m as a record signing after lengthy negotiations with Liverpool. 

The Catalan club wanted him in the summer of 2017, after the departure of Neymar but failed to live up to expectations at the Camp Nou.

According to reports from the Telegraph, all parties determination to secure a deal was vital, with Coutinho agreeing a 70% salary drop to leave, with a new weekly wage of £125,000.

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Barcelona said in a statement on Thursday that they “would like to publicly state their thanks to Philippe Coutinho for his commitment and dedication, and wish him success and all the best for the future.”

In total he played 106 times for the Spanish club and netted 26 goals. His overall record at Barça amounted to 65 wins, 24 draws and just 15 defeats.