The key reason why Aston Villa could struggle to keep Philippe Coutinho

Coutinho has enjoyed a successful loan spell at Aston Villa so far, working under former Liverpool teammate Gerrard who will be desperate to keep the Brazilian at Villa Park this summer
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Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard will already have one eye on next season after an impressive run of form has seen his side all but secure their Premier League status.

Despite losing to West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday (13 March), Villa sit ninth in the league and are fourteen points clear of the bottom three after three wins on the bounce against Brighton, Southampton and Leeds.

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Unsurprisingly, Villa’s January loan signing Philippe Coutinho has been a vital player for Gerrard in recent weeks and a key reason for their form improving.

Philippe CoutinhoPhilippe Coutinho
Philippe Coutinho

The Brazilian has registered four goals and three assists at the West Midlands club so far, and Villa will be desperate to keep the former Liverpool play-maker at Villa Park this summer by turning the loan deal into a permanent one - but according to transfer insider Dean Jones, there’s one key reason why Villa could struggle to do just that.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones said Coutinho’s wage demands and other clubs coming in for the him could affect Villa’s chances of singing Coutinho permanently.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, he said:The transfer fee will be fine. They’re happy with the fee that is going to be in place.

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“It’s the wages that are obviously going to cause a problem and also the competition from elsewhere.”

Whether Villa will be able to make the deal permanent remains to be seen, but according to CalcioMercato, Barcelona have also now set a price.

The report claims the Blaugrana want £34million to sell the Brazilian midfielder this summer, despite signing him for well over £100million back in 2018.

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