Coutinho Doesn't Want To Go Back To Barcelona, Willing To Cut His Salary By 75 Percent To Stay At Aston Villa

JAKARTA - Philippe Coutinho is reluctant to return to his home club, Barcelona next season. The midfielder prefers to stay with the English club, Aston Villa.

Reporting from Football Espana, to stay at Aston Villa, the Brazilian player is willing to cut his salary by up to 75 percent to change his loan deal to become a permanent player at The Villans this summer.

Coutinho's early arrival in England could not be separated from the intervention of his former Liverpool team-mate, Steven Gerrard, who is now coaching Aston Villa. In January this year, Gerrard brought Coutinho to Aston Villa on a short-term, six-month loan contract from Barcelona.

At Aston Villa, Coutinho managed to become a mainstay player. Gerrard is pleased with Coutinho's performance, as are the fans at Villa Park who love him even more.

So far Coutinho has packed four goals and three assists for the team. With that note, he is optimistic that Aston Villa will keep him next season.

On the other hand, Coutinho's decision to agree to defend Aston Villa was also based on his poor performance at Barcelona. While with the Blaugrana, Coutinho was reportedly frustrated because he failed to get a regular place in the first team.

The change of coach in the Barcelona camp also did not make his fate better, so last summer he was even more determined to leave Camp Nou.

Although Coutinho has publicly stated his willingness to defend Aston Villa, the club still does not dare to decide because they are thinking about the player's wages.

The reason is, in the existing clause, the purchase of Coutinho is at 33 million pounds. This figure is based on the large salary Coutinho has received since joining Barcelona, which is £400,000 per week.

According to the same source, if Coutinho wants to stay in England he cannot receive the full payment. Because, Aston Villa can only pay 25 percent of Coutinho's total salary requested.

About having to give up 75 percent of his salary, Coutinho reportedly doesn't mind it. The player turned out to be willing to cut his salary for a ticket out of Barcelona this summer. If it is really agreed, then Aston Villa could start drafting a proposal to Barcelona to satisfy the desire for more playing time in England.