Aston Villa won’t rush to seal Philippe Coutinho deal

Villa have an option to buy Coutinho for £33million this summer but a deal will likely hinge on the Brazil international, who has flourished since joining from Barcelona in January, taking a big cut in salary.

Gerrard, who yesterday confirmed the club have opened talks with Ashley Young over a contract extension, is keen for Coutinho to be a central figure in his bid to make Villa a Premier League force and is relaxed about the situation for now.

He said: “We’ve got an option on Phil at the end of the season and we will make a decision when the time is right.

“The key for me is the player. He seems really happy and settled. People have worked ever so hard to help him settle and feel comfortable.

“He is playing some of his best football because of the job the club have done to help him feel settled. I am comfortable where it is at.

“Phil only needs to focus on staying as consistent as he can. We will deal with everything else when the time is right.”

Coutinho’s excellent form for Villa, where he has scored three goals and created three more in seven appearances, means he is likely to have suitors elsewhere.

But Gerrard said: “If you’d told me on the day we signed him he’d be in a place where he has been fantastic and consistent and people are looking at him on the back of his form for us, I’d have taken that. It’s what I wanted, in a strange way.”