Premier League giants reserve €40m purchase option for Barcelona midfielder

Barcelona were finally able to get Philippe Coutinho off their books, at least temporarily, after agreeing to loan the Brazilian out to Premier League outfit Aston Villa for the rest of the season.

In his four years at the club, the 29-year-old never managed to live up to the billing, often struggling to make any kind of impact. His massive wages were a burden on the Catalan giants, especially in the current financial circumstances.

So, the loan exit offers a huge reprieve, even if it is for a temporary basis. As reported by Cadena SER (h/t AS), Villa will be paying €8 million in wages to Coutinho, along with a 10% commission to his agent.

At the same time, the Midlands club also retain the option of signing him permanently for a fee of €40 million at the end of the season. However, as per the report, it is not just Aston Villa who have secured a purchase option for the former Liverpool playmaker in the summer.

Instead, their Premier League rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, also have an agreement with Barcelona that would allow them to sign Coutinho permanently for the same fee.

The north London giants had been heavily linked with a move for the Brazilian this month, but ultimately decided not to sign him on a loan deal. Instead, Antonio Conte & co. will now opt to see how the midfielder fares on his return to England with Villa for the rest of the season before taking a call on a permanent move for him later this year.

While it is certainly an interesting situation, Barcelona will be relieved to have gotten Coutinho off the books for now. His loan departure, subject to medical and work permit, should enable the Catalans to register new signing Ferran Torres, who arrived from Manchester City in a €55 million deal.