Aston Villa have reportedly received an approach from Al Duhail for Philippe Coutinho, but no formal bid has yet been made by the Qatari outfit.
The 31-year-old made a positive impression after initially joining us on loan from Barcelona in January 2022, but he struggled last season with injuries and form as his influence become increasingly limited after the move was made permanent.
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Coutinho has just six goals and three assists in 43 appearances for Villa, and as he recovers from his latest injury setback that is expected to sideline him for a few weeks after coming off in our win over Everton last weekend, speculation over his future at the club refuses to go away.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Al Duhail have made an approach to Villa for Coutinho, but importantly, no formal bid has yet been submitted. It’s added that talks are expected in the coming days to determine if a deal can be done, and it’s suggested that discussions between Al Duhail and Coutinho are at an advanced stage.
Given the Brazilian playmaker’s contract runs until 2026 and he’ll undoubtedly be one of the top earners at the club, if a significant offer was to come in this week to allow us to recoup as much of his fee as possible, it certainly should be considered by Villa.
While injuries and sales have raised concern that perhaps the squad is too thin now, the exits that have been confirmed coupled with a potential move for Coutinho, could allow Villa to be active in the final days of the window to bring in further reinforcements to bolster the group and give Emery solutions that are better-suited to his style and system.
Given Coutinho’s ongoing injury issues that raise question marks over his reliability combined with his struggles to hit top form last season, an exit is arguably the best outcome this summer, provided that Villa fill that void and have enough in the squad for the campaign ahead.