Report: Arsenal still want Coutinho; and Tottenham bid is not ruled out

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Arsenal are still monitoring Philippe Coutinho ahead of the summer transfer window, while Sport reports that Barcelona believe that Tottenham Hotspur could be amongst the clubs who also join the race.

Coutinho has been every bit as good as Aston Villa fans would have dreamt he would be following his loan move during the January transfer window.

He has already scored four goals and contributed three assists for the Villans. Unsurprisingly, thoughts are now turning to the summer and what the long-term future holds for the Brazilian.

Sport notes that Aston Villa have the option to make his move permanent for £33.5 million. There is a big problem however.

The Telegraph reported this week that Coutinho earns £480,000-a-week. Villa pay just under a quarter of that amount. And they would need the 29-year-old to take a pay-cut to make his move permanent.

That appears to have alerted some of their Premier League rivals. Sport suggests that Arsenal plan to act should Villa not take up the option to sign Coutinho.

Interestingly, Barca are braced for others to come in. They do not rule out Tottenham joining the battle for his signature. West Ham are another seemingly monitoring the situation.

Arsenal and Tottenham must be wary if Aston Villa back away from Coutinho move

Aston Villa can certainly afford to trigger the option to sign Coutinho. The only problem therefore, is surely going to come from discussions over wages.

Coutinho will surely be open to a compromise. Villa have helped the attacking midfielder start to get his career back on track.

However, he will know that his stock is on the rise once again. He has been labelled ‘brilliant‘ following his switch. And with that, he may feel able to demand a lucrative deal elsewhere.

With Villa already paying £120,000-a-week, they should be able to offer a pretty good contract. So if Villa back away, Tottenham and Arsenal should surely have some reservations given what he may well be demanding.