Barcelona could receive financial boost as Premier League club plan to sell former flop

Philippe Coutinho was one of many players that left Barcelona in the summer in favour of a new journey elsewhere. Once regarded as the future of Brazilian football, Coutinho was coming on the back of a loan spell at Aston Villa that was somewhat successful.

It convinced then-Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard to spend €20 million to sign the player permanently in the summer. However, the player has not justice to his price tag this season, having yet to score a goal or assist in 12 league outings.

A thigh injury in November did not help the attacker’s cause either, while Gerrard’s departure was a further catalyst in his demise under current coach Unai Emery.

The Spanish tactician does not rate the Brazilian highly and has not included him in his plans. According to Mundo Deportivo, Emery even plans on offloading Coutinho permanently in the upcoming January transfer window, which should greatly interest Barcelona.

Although the Catalans had sanctioned the sale of Coutinho only for €20 million in the summer, they had crucially reserved 50% right of the transfer fee, meaning the club would be entitled to half the money generated through the player’s sale at Villa.

However, the report suggests it could be very challenging for Aston Villa to generate anything more than €20 million for Coutinho, who has been in poor form all season and may not attract too many suitors.

As a result, Barcelona may not stand much to gain, although a €20 million sale may still represent a fresh €10 million revenue for a club desperate for an economic boost, as they look to fund moves for various targets in the upcoming January transfer window.

The club are particularly looking for a new right-back, although it appears Hector Bellerin may continue despite his struggles since returning to Camp Nou in the summer.