Coutinho is currently on loan at Aston Villa from Barcelona and has started to rekindle his form back in the Premier League.

 

Villa boss Steven Gerrard has made no secret of his desire to sign Coutinho on a permanent basis when the summer transfer window swings open, but he has company in the chase as Newcastle are keen.

 

 

Barcelona want to offload Coutinho’s wages in the summer and, according to Catalan daily Sport, they want his exit finalised by 30th June.

 

Completing the sale by 30th June would allow Barcelona to include it in their accounts for this year rather than next year.

 

 

The Catalan giants are working hard to balance the books and want to bank the fee for him this year.

 

Coutinho has become a key man at Aston Villa, featuring in ten Premier League games so far and scoring four goals, along with providing three assists for his team-mates.

 

 

He is poised to depart Barcelona on a permanent basis having appeared 106 times for the club, with 25 goals and 14 assists.