Newcastle United have ‘a budget set aside for a marquee signing’ amid reported interest in Barcelona attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Magpies became the richest football club in the world following their Saudi-backed takeover last year and are expected to be active in the transfer market over the summer.

What is the latest news involving Coutinho?

Coutinho became one of the most expensive players on the planet when he joined Catalan giants Barcelona in a £142 million deal back in January 2018 following a successful five-year stint with Liverpool.

However, things did not go to plan for the Brazil international following his big-money move to Camp Nou.

A relatively successful loan spell at Bayern Munich throughout 2019/20 failed to reignite Coutinho’s Barca career, and he was allowed to join Aston Villa in the January transfer window.

The Midlands outfit secured the 29-year-old’s services on a six-month loan deal that included the option to make his stay permanent for £33 million.

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And despite a fast start to life at Villa Park, manager Steven Gerrard has admitted that tying Coutinho to the club on a long-term basis in ‘not as straightforward as people think’.

Spanish outlet Sport have also recently claimed that Newcastle are set to rival the Villan’s for the playmakers signature and are willing to offer a £1m signing on fee to sweeten the deal.

What has O’Rourke said about Coutinho?

Although Jones admitted it’s ‘very hard to see’ Coutinho playing elsewhere in the Premier League, he revealed that Newcastle have funds in reserve to attract a star name to St. James’ Park.

He told GiveMeSport: “It's very hard to see him anywhere else in the Premier League right now, but Newcastle have a budget set aside for a marquee signing.

“Coutinho has loved his time at Villa Park. At the moment, his main focus is just to play and to be happy, and that's happening at Aston Villa for him.”

Would Coutinho be a good signing?

After coming off the bench to score against Manchester United on his debut, Coutinho has added a further three goals and three assists in his subsequent 11 appearances.

As per WhoScored, the South American has also averaged 2.6 shots, 1.5 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per league game this term, placing him in the top two amongst his teammates for each metric.

Therefore, Coutinho could be a valuable addition to Eddie Howe’s charges should the Newcastle hierarchy pursue a deal for the creative talent.