Philippe Coutinho took major wage cut to secure Barcelona exit

Philippe Coutinho has reportedly taken a huge wage reduction to secure his exit from Barcelona.

The Brazilin international will remain at Aston Villa this summer after agreeing a four-year permanent move to the Premier League side.

Coutinho has impressed under Steven Gerrard at Villa Park after joining the club on a six-month loan deal in January.

Gerrard stated his desire to keep the 29-year-old in recent weeks and Villa have reached an agreement to sign him from the Spanish giants.

Aston Villa is delighted to announce the permanent signing of Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona for an undisclosed fee! 🙌

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 12, 2022

Coutinho’s purchase clause of €40m in the original deal was rejected by Villa and Barcelona agreed to accept a €20m fee.

Barcelona’s desire to offload the former Liverpool winger benefitted Villa in reducing the asking price with the Catalans retaining a 50% sell on clause on him.

According to reports from the Daily Telegraph, all parties determination to secure a deal was vital, with Coutinho agreeing a 70% salary drop to leave, with a new weekly wage of £125,000.