Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has revealed his view that should the club decide to sign Philippe Coutinho on a permanent basis from Barcelona at the end of the season, money would not be an issue.
The Brazilian playmaker had a rather trying time at the Camp Nou after moving there from Liverpool for €160 million in January 2018. He said he had left the Merseysiders to win the Champions League with Barcelona at the time, and he ironically had to leave the Catalans to do that with Bayern Munich in 2019-20. Having been unable to establish himself as an important player at Barcelona even after his return from Germany, the 29-year-old joined Aston Villa on loan in January.
The loan agreement between the two clubs is said to contain a clause set at €40m which enables the Premier League side to turn the deal permanent at the end of the season. And speaking to the press, Gerrard said it would be no issue, praising the backing from the club owners since taking over from Dean Smith in mid-November last year.