Newcastle want to ruin Aston Villa’s transfer plans

Newcastle’s influx of summer transfer cash might cost Aston Villa a player they desperately want to hold onto this summer. 

Philippe Coutinho certainly isn’t heading back to Barcelona next season, but Aston Villa would love to extend his stay in the Premier League on a permanent basis. Unfortunately for Villa, Newcastle United may put an end to those hopes when the summer transfer window opens.

According to Goal, the Magpies are willing to offer Barcelona something in the neighborhood of €40 million to reel in the talented midfielder. That’s almost double the reported figure of €20 million that Villa were willing to offer the Spanish giants.

Losing Coutinho wouldn’t necessarily be a crushing blow for Villa, but it would be a bitter pill to swallow after giving him such a fine opportunity to reestablish his value after a tumultuous time in Spain. His passing in the heart of their attacking midfield has done wonders to attack Villa’s attack during the second half of the current campaign.

Newcastle want to ruin Aston Villa’s transfer plans

Villa’s feelings on the matter won’t be any concern to a Newcastle side that are ready to flex their financial might in the summer transfer window. New manager Eddie Howe has done an excellent job of stabilizing the club to keep them out of this year’s relegation free since being appointed, but the club’s new ownership group has much higher expectations moving forward.

Newcastle are expected to be one of the biggest spenders in the Premier League this summer and the idea that they’re willing to outbid Villa for Coutinho goes along perfectly with that belief. Villa likely won’t be the only Premier League club that sees one of their summer transfer targets head to Newcastle after their initial transfer bid is blown out of the water.

The real question here for Newcastle is whether or not spending big on a veteran like Coutinho is really the right way forward for the club. Their owners are clearly out for immediate gratification which is something the Brazilian playmaker can provide. There is, however, a cogent argument to be made that Newcastle would be better off building their squad with young players more willing to listen to Howe’s managerial ideas.

The simple truth is that Newcastle will spend big on big names this summer. The swoop for Coutinho could be the first of many such moves for the Magpies.