Steven Gerrard’s quest to bring Philippe Coutinho back to the Premier League on a permanent basis has hit an unanticipated turn as the Barcelona directors expressed doubt over whether Aston Villa would follow through on their loan agreement deal.
The link-up of the former teammates has proved beneficial for both clubs with the Brazilian registering four goals and three assists from his dozen games since arriving on loan in January.
The 29-year-old had found himself frozen out at Camp Nou, and with his services essentially no longer required, the Catalan club are keen to take him permanently off their wage bill.
The deal that took the playmaker to the Midlands included release clause of £33 million for a permanent transfer but it has emerged that Barcelona's directors do not believe that Aston Villa are willing to pay it, and they now seek to know how they wish to proceed, according to the Mirror.
A meeting with Coutinho’s representatives has been planned for this week in a bid to determine the future for the player, and if the response is deemed negative, the agents will start pursuing alternative opportunities with vigour.
Coutinho made a considerable impact during his time at Liverpool, and while Newcastle were said to have been interested in signing him, the player reportedly rejected that approach and was keen to head to Villa or Arsenal as favoured options.
Mikel Arteta has publicly expressed his admiration of the playmaker in the past and the club are looking at substantial reinvestment during the summer.
The player is chasing a spot in Brazil’s squad for the World Cup, so playing football at a high standard will be imperative to his chances of heading to Qatar.
As Coutinho has held a Portuguese passport since 2018, that would make a move to another European club much easier than had been the case.
Gerrard stated earlier in the month that he had the backing of his billionaire owners and pointed to the acquisition of Coutinho as being one the key parts of the club’s revival.
He said: “When he's comfortable, he's happy and he's enjoying his football we all know we're dealing with a world-class talent.
“We took over a team 16th in the league and we’ve done ever so well to get into a safe position as we stand. We’ve had opportunities to go and grab positions above us but the league doesn’t lie. At the moment there’s a gap to the teams above us."
