Aston Villa will have to pay about £33million to sign Philippe Coutinho permanently from Barcelona after securing a loan deal for the Brazilian star until the end of the season.
Steven Gerrard has made a clear statement of intent less than two months into his Villa Park reign by pushing for the signing of his former Liverpool team-mate, whose salary will be shared by the two clubs, with Villa thought to be paying close to £125,000 a week. Senior members of Gerrard’s squad are thought to be hugely excited about working with the 29-year-old.