Barcelona to land HUGE Saudi Pro League transfer windfall from €120m star

Jacque Talbot

19 Aug 2023 05:50 CDT
3 min read

Xavi, Joan Laporta, Barcelona — © ProShots

Barcelona are set to land a huge sum if the transfer of Philippe Coutinho to Qatari outfit Al-Duhail goes through. Fabrizio Romano has reported that the La Liga side have a huge 50% sell-on clause inserted in the Brazilian star's current contract.

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The attacker is currently at Aston Villa but seems set for an exit. Coutinho signed fresh terms with Villa last summer which runs until 2026, after joining initially on loan from Barcelona in January 2022.

He was brought in by Steven Gerrard but when the Liverpool legend was sacked last October, Coutinho struggled to maintain a place in the starting XI for the Premier League side.

Last season he scored in Villa’s 4-2 defeat at home to Arsenal in February before landing an injury which saw him miss the rest of the season. Coutinho has also been the subject of interest from Super Lig club Besiktas this summer.

Gerrard eyes former Reds man

© ProShots - Coutinho had an unsuccessful time at Barcelona

While reports have suggested that Gerrard is open to bringing the player to Al Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, where Jordan Henderson now also plays.

Coutinho played a small role in Villa’s opening day defeat to Newcastle on the opening day. But Unai Emery has brought in Nicolo Zaniolo to boost his attack, while Moussa Diaby has also joined up with the club.

Coutinho, who has also played for the likes of Bayern Munich, Espanyol and Inter Milan, left Anfield for Barcelona in 2013, with the fee reported to be an initial £105 million rising to £142m. But things didn’t work out for Coutinho at the Nou Camp across four seasons.

The Spanish side moved him on to Aston Villa after an initial loan spell. But they have kept a healthy sum of his sell-on clause if the Midlands club were to accept an offer for Coutinho.