Aston Villa wrapped up the £17million signing of Philippe Coutinho last night – after the Brazilian agreed to take a huge 70 per cent pay cut to seal a permanent switch to Villa Park.
The ex-Liverpool star has been in sizzling form since he arrived in the Midlands back in January. Coutinho has plundered four goals and racked up a further three assists in just 16 Premier League appearances after leaving Barcelona on loan.
The original deal between the two sides did include a £33m clause for Villa to sign Coutinho on a permanent basis, but there were doubts over whether or not a deal could be struck due to the lucrative £480,000-a-week contract that Coutinho penned back in January 2018 when he was lured to the Nou Camp in a record £142m switch. However, Coutinho has agreed to take a significant hit on his salary – more than 70 per cent – in order to fit into Villa's wage structure.
