Aston Villa are set to face a battle against numerous other clubs to secure the permanent signing for loanee Philippe Coutinho with the Brazilian set to leave Barcelona for good this summer.

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According to Birmingham Live, Villa have an option to buy Coutinho for £33m at the end of the season, although the deal is believed to be more complicated than that.

On the situation, manager Steven Gerrard said last month: "It's more complicated than people think... the option is there. If it was my money, I think you know the answer."

However, the Mirror claim that Barcelona have doubts over the West Midlands club's ability to provide the necessary funds to take on the 29-year-old permanently.

It is also believed that Premier League rivals Arsenal and Newcastle United are keen, with the latter "ready" to pay the winger's £425,000k-per-week salary, according to the Mirror.

Villa must secure permanent Coutinho deal

Already the effects of having Coutinho in Gerrard's side are evident, with the Brazilian scoring four goals and registering three assists in 12 Premier League appearances for the Villans.

To put that into context, the 29-year-old is already the West Midlands club's joint-fourth top goalscorer this term having joined in early January.

Premier League fans were already aware of the winger's brilliance after his spell at Liverpool whilst also featuring regularly for Brazil.

Across club and country, Coutinho has netted a whopping 125 career strikes and has received a plethora of praise from numerous names over the years with former Liverpool and current Brazil teammate Roberto Firmino labelling the Villa loanee as "phenomenal" and insisting that "he has magical powers."

Villa's season has been somewhat of a disappointment, with Gerrard's men currently 15th in the Premier League, although they do have two games in hand on some sides, there will undoubtedly be plans for an ambitious transfer window.

The West Midlands outfit have already been linked with the likes of Yves Bissouma and Kalvin Phillips and are set to spend big this summer.

Having already lured Coutinho to Villa Park on a temporary basis, there shouldn't be any issue convincing the 29-year-old to stay permanently after an excellent start to life in claret and blue.

Moreover, contrary to reports, a £33m fee seems a bargain and one that isn't out of the question for Villa, having spent a club-record £38m on Emi Buendia last summer.

Granted, there will be more attractive propositions for the Brazilian and therefore Gerrard and NSWE must do whatever they can to secure a permanent stay for the Villa star.

AND in other news: Cost £0, now worth £19.8m: Villa struck gold on £15k-p/w gem who “demands attention”