Aston Villa are reportedly in talks with Philippe Coutinho over terminating his contract as he looks set for an exit this summer.
The 31-year-old initially joined us on loan from Barcelona in January 2022, and his impressive first few months at the club earned him a permanent switch at the end of that season.
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However, injuries and competition for places saw the Brazilian playmaker fall down the pecking order, and coupled with Steven Gerrard’s sacking, he eventually found himself on loan at Al-Duhail this past season.
Coutinho has scored six goals and provided three assists in 43 appearances for Villa, but based on speculation in recent weeks, he may not be adding to those tallies moving forward.
According to Brazilian journalist Bruno Andrade, Villa are in talks with Coutinho over terminating his contract, and in turn, that will free him up to secure a return to Vasco de Gama this summer.
It’s noted that the midfielder’s preference is to return to Brazil, while Andrade goes on to add that there is an amicable understanding between the two parties to potentially terminate his deal, there are ongoing talks over the terms of the agreement with the possibility of a loan with an option to buy not ruled out at this stage.
Time will tell how the situation plays out, but ultimately it feels as though it would be the ideal solution for all concerned if Coutinho does indeed move on this summer on a permanent basis to end his stint with us.
Unai Emery has moved in a different direction without him this season, and combined with Emiliano Buendia’s return from injury next season, Morgan Rogers’ emergence after his January arrival as well as the likelihood that we’ll continue to strengthen the squad with Emery’s preferred signings, there doesn’t appear to be a road back for Coutinho in his squad.
His current Villa contract does run until 2026 and so it could be a complicated negotiation to seal a clean break, but that would surely be the best outcome from our perspective as it would shift his wages off the books moving forward, giving us more flexibility and space in the squad to bring in new faces in the upcoming transfer window.
