Newcastle 'ready to offer Philippe Coutinho a £1M bonus to convince him to join them'
Daily MailNewcastle are reportedly preparing a mega-money £1million bonus in a bid to entice Philippe Coutinho to the north east this summer. Coutinho has been a revelation since swapping Barcelona for Aston Villa on loan in January, scoring four goals and adding three assists in 10 matches so far. Philippe Coutinho has rediscovered his best form at Aston Villa working for Steven Gerrard Eddie Howe's Newcastle are reportedly beginning to look into a summer move for Coutinho A permanent switch to Villa Park is reportedly Barcelona's 'priority', with a deal mooted to be around £33.5m - but Newcastle's reported interest could complicate any switch to the Midlands. Coutinho has been a revelation at Villa Park on loan, with four goals and three assists so far He earns a staggering £480,000 a week at Barcelona which he will not match back in England The 29-year-old's huge £480,000 a week wages at the Nou Camp won't be matched in England and Villa are currently paying just under 25 per cent of those weekly wages for six months, around £120,000 a week. Gerrard wants to keep Coutinho but has welcomed interest from rival Premier League clubs Asked about whether Villa is the place for Coutinho to fall in love with the game again, Gerrard added: 'Phil was successful at Barcelona but he had difficult periods as well.