On Thursday evening, Steven Gerrard again spoke publicly about his desire to keep Philippe Coutinho at Aston Villa in the longer term.
The Brazilian scored his fourth Premier League goal since his January move in Villa’s 3-0 victory over Leeds United, and that adds to the three assists he’s also contributed.
Over in Catalonia, they jump from confidence to nerves over the future of the player. A few days ago we covered claims which stated that Aston Villa won’t be able to reduce the €40m buying clause they have, because other clubs are also keen on the 29-year-old.
Friday’s edition of Sport is a bit more cautious, and they point out that when Coutinho went to Bayern Munich on loan it looked like he’d end up moving permanently before everything collapsed.
Barcelona ‘rub their hands together’ but do so ‘cautiously’, partly because ‘nobody has called’ from Aston Villa. That seems like nerves getting a little carried away, given there’s absolutely no need for Gerrard’s side to be in touch about a permanent move at this stage.
Intriguingly, Sport add: ‘They also say from the offices of the Ciutat Esportiva that the club would do very well to sell Coutinho before June 30 to balance the numbers.’That could well mean there is the chance of a discount, should Aston Villa be willing to seal the deal early, and help calm those nerves at the Camp Nou.
For reasons we don’t fully understand, the idea that Tottenham also have a Coutinho buying clause is dismissed.
