Steven Gerrard insists Aston Villa's owners will back him in the transfer window amid rumours Philippe Coutinho may join Arsenal.
Villa have the option to sign Coutinho, 29, for £33million this summer. The Brazilian has recaptured his form since joining Gerrard's side on loan from Barcelona in January, scoring four goals and providing three assists in 11 Premier League outings.
Although Coutinho's transfer fee is affordable, his wages could be a problem. He reportedly earns £480,000-a-week, with Barcelona paying most of his salary. Coutinho's deal runs until 2023 and he will have to take a huge pay cut to join Villa permanently.
If Villa are unable to match the playmaker's demands, Arsenal could step in. The Gunners are reportedly monitoring his situation and, although they won't pay him £480,000-a-week either, could offer him a greater salary than Villa and European football.
Arsenal are currently fifth in the Premier League, level on points with Tottenham in fourth with two games in hand. Mikel Arteta's side can return to the top four with a point against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday evening.
Despite this, Gerrard is confident Villa's billionaire owners will splash the cash this summer. The Liverpool legend is capable of attracting big-name players to the club, such as Coutinho and France international Lucas Digne - both signed in January.
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"Now is not the time to talk about figures and amounts," said Gerrard, who succeeded Dean Smith at Villa Park last November. "What the owners have done for this club has been phenomenal in terms of the backing.
"I don’t think they’ll change because given the communication I’ve had, they’re very ambitious and they want to win matches, as I do. I think we are aligned from the top of the club to bottom. My close staff all know where we are strong and where we need support.
"We took over a team 16th in the league and we’ve done ever so well to get into a safe position as we stand. We’ve had opportunities to go and grab positions above us but the league doesn’t lie. At the moment there’s a gap to the teams above us."
Arsenal manager Arteta is expected to have a big transfer kitty this summer, with reports suggesting he could have up to £180m to spend. Rumoured transfer targets include Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves.
The Gunners spent more than £140m last summer - bringing in the likes of Aaron Rasmdale, Ben White and Martin Odegaard - and the result has been a much improved team. They could only muster an eighth-place finish in the previous two campaigns.
Villa have also invested heavily during the last 12 months, spending more than £110m on the likes of Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings. Yet much of that cash was generated from the sale of Jack Grealish to Manchester City for £100m.
