Aston Villa handed ‘transfer boost’ despite rival interest from Arsenal

A look at all the latest Aston Villa transfer news and rumours as Steven Gerrard’s side eye a strong end to the season.
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Aston Villa have their eyes on a top-half finish after their resurgence under Steven Gerrard in the second half of the season.

Though, it has been far from smooth sailing, with Villa heading into the international break on the back of consecutive defeats.

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Gerrard’s men are all-but safe from the threat of relegation, now on 36 points with nine games remaining, but they will be looking to finish the season with a bang ahead of, what will hopefully be, a more consistent campaign in 2022/23.

But for now, it’s a case of waiting for club football to resume amid the international break, and while that wait goes on, we have rounded up all the latest transfer rumours:

Arsenal make contact with Coutinho

Today’s transfer update is all about Philippe Coutinho, and the first update is a concerning one.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Arsenal are interested in the midfielder to the point of making contact with Barcelona ahead of a possible move.

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Crucially, however, Villa do hold the option to buy which, if activated, would see them keep Coutinho regardless of interest elsewhere - if he wants to join them.

Coutinho keen

There is also good, however. According to journalist Dean Jones, Coutinho is ‘very open’ to the idea of joining Villa on a permanent deal.

That’s despite reported interest from elsewhere, with the midfielder enjoying impressive form under former teammate Gerrard.

The Brazilian has scored four goals and assisted three in 14 appearances for Villa, and it seems he is keen on the idea of staying at Villa Park, where he has hit the ground running and rediscovered his best form.

That could be a huge boost for Villa as they weigh up splashing the cash and exercising the £34million option-to-buy clause in the 29-year-old’s loan deal.

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