Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has revealed he would like to sign Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona on a permanent transfer in the summer.
The 29-year-old joined the Midlands club on loan for the remainder of the season in January after struggling for game time at Barca. He has since scored four goals and grabbed three assists in 15 appearances for the Villains.
Champions League -chasing Arsenal and Tottenham have been linked with Coutinho in recent weeks and it does not appear he has a future under Xavi at Camp Nou. However, Gerrard has insisted Villa remain keen on signing him at the end of the campaign and the club have a £33million option to do so as part of their loan arrangement.
"We want Philippe Coutinho here for sure," Gerrard said. "We have five games in 15 days so Phil and Emi [Buendia] will both get enough game time to keep themselves satisfied. As a club, we want to be in a place where games come thick and fast. Phil understood the decision, he has played a lot. There are no egos here."
After an electric start to life at Villa, Coutinho has failed to register a goal or an assist in his last seven games. His last strike came in the 3-0 win at Leeds United after scoring against Southampton, Manchester United and in the reverse clash with the Whites.
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Subsequently, Coutinho was left out of the Villa starting XI for the first time since January in their 3-1 win over Burnley on Saturday. Emiliano Buendia came back into the side and impressed, grabbing a goal and an assist as Gerrard's side recorded their second successive win.
Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins also found the back of the net while Coutinho came on for the final 12 minutes to see out the victory at Turf Moor. Villa are next in action on Tuesday when they take on Coutinho's former club Liverpool - the first time he has faced Klopp in the Premier League since leaving in January 2018.
Despite the player's recent form, Gerrard's recent comments suggest he will do everything to try and keep him at Villa. If they don't manage to secure the midfielder - having not yet agreed a contract - Spanish outlet Sport claim that Arsenal are waiting in the wings and ready to pounce for Coutinho.
"When he's comfortable, he's happy and he's enjoying his football we all know we're dealing with a world-class talent," Gerrard said of Coutinho back in March. "For me, it doesn't make sense to make any decisions now or say anything else on this, we just need to keep enjoying him and keep him healthy from now until the end of the season."
