Aston Villa will be paying a percentage of Philippe Coutinho's wages after brokering a deal to take the Barcelona attacking midfielder to Villa Park, according to The Athletic journalist Gregg Evans.
The Midlands club completed their first acquisition of the January transfer window after it was announced that Coutinho will spend the remainder of the season on loan subject to the Brazilian completing a medical and receiving a work permit.
What's the latest news involving Coutinho?
Steven Gerrard was unveiled as Villa's head coach in November and he has certainly made a statement by making Coutinho the first signing of his reign.
While Coutinho will initially spend the rest of the campaign with Gerrard's charges on a temporary basis, the agreement with Barcelona includes an option to buy the 29-year-old permanently.
Coutinho, who has been described by Gerrard as a 'wonderful footballer', is a major coup for Villa after he cost Barcelona a whopping £142million just four years ago.
It became clear that a deal was there to be done when, according to Spanish media outlet Sport, Coutinho told Barcelona that he was willing to move away from the Nou Camp this month if an attractive offer was tabled.
Villa strengthened their interest just a matter of days ago after it emerged that the club had already contacted the former Liverpool man's agent with a view to negotiating a deal.
What has Gregg Evans said about the Coutinho deal?
Evans has confirmed that part of the agreement which has brought Coutinho to Villa Park involves the Premier League club taking on a portion of his pay package.
Coutinho's Barcelona contract, which is not due to expire until the summer of 2023, is worth £380,000-per-week.
Evans believes the agreed proposal suited both Villa and Barcelona, although it is not known how much the Midlands club will have to fork out.
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The journalist told GIVEMESPORT: "It's my understanding that both clubs are happy with the deal with how it's worked out.
"Villa will pay a percentage of the wage but we don't know those details yet."
Why did Gerrard make Coutinho a priority?
Gerrard and Coutinho know each other well, having shared a dressing room at Liverpool between 2013 and 2015.
They featured alongside each other 81 times while on Merseyside, enjoying 5,272 minutes on the same pitch.
Although injuries and a loss of form have resulted in Coutinho being restricted to just 106 appearances since swapping Liverpool for Barcelona, it is clear that he has plenty of talent.
The 64-cap Brazil international has found the back of the net 101 times during his club career and registered 79 goal involvements in the Premier League.
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