Coutinho wants permanent Aston Villa transfer as Gerrard's side aim to push Barcelona's €40m price down
The coming days will be decisive for Philippe Coutinho's future as he hopes to secure a permanent transfer to Aston Villa from Barcelona.
The Brazil international has impressed since joining the Premier League side on loan in a deal which included an option to buy him outright for €40 million (£34m/$42m).
Villa are eager to complete a deal to land 29-year-old, but GOAL reported this week that they face competition from Newcastle.
Does Coutinho want to stay at Aston Villa?
GOAL understands that Coutinho hopes to complete a permanent move to Villa Park this summer and has already signaled his desire to the Camp Nou side.
Villa would rather not fork out the full €40m to get him, however, and hope to talk Barca down from the price they initially agreed upon.
Club officials will meet with Barcelona representatives this week to negotiate a new price.
But while Villa would rather pay around half of that fee - around €20m (£17m/$21m), Barca do not want to settle for such a low fee. They would be open to parting ways with him for closer to €30m (£26m/$32m).
How has Coutinho performed for Aston Villa?
Coutinho arrived at Aston Villa in January after failing to cement a place in the Barcelona starting XI at the start of the season.
He has made 16 appearances in the Premier League for Steven Gerrard's team, scoring four goals and setting up a further three.
Villa manager Gerrard admitted as early as March that his side wanted to sign him on a permanent basis but the former Liverpool star warned that it would not be a straightforward deal.