Aston Villa are reportedly closer to seeing Philippe Coutinho leave the club this summer, as he’s advancing in talks over a return to Vasco de Gama.
The 31-year-old spent last season on loan at Al-Duhail, but with that deal set to run down next month, it was unclear what the next step would be for Villa and the Brazilian international.
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Having moved on without him this past season and as Unai Emery continues to strengthen his squad with his own signings, the expectation is that Coutinho has played his last game for Villa, as moving his salary off the wage bill will no doubt be a priority for the club this summer.
Fortunately, it appears as though a solution has been found as he’s said to be closing in on a return to Brazil, and as per media reports circulating on social media, he has already returned to his homeland this week, which in turn is perhaps a significant indication that an agreement could be close.
As per Fabrizio Romano, progress is being made in talks between the Brazilian playmaker and Vasco, and while his former club are said to be increasingly confident about getting a deal done, Coutinho is keen on the move.
That in turn would involve the termination of his Villa contract which still has two years to run on it, and so it’s hoped that the terms of our agreement with Coutinho to end his stint early will be favourable for us as we look to make a key saving with his departure.
Ultimately, such an outcome would make sense for all concerned. Villa would shift his wages and create flexibility and space in the squad to sign a new reinforcement, while Coutinho gets a move home and will no doubt have a more prominent role to play at Vasco, who will see real benefits from bringing him back.
It all appears to be heading towards that end result based on the above, and so although we’ll have fond memories of his initial impact and first few months at Villa, Coutinho will hopefully be a key learning experience for the current management team on how we must be shrewd and sensible in the transfer market moving forward to continue to strengthen and be more competitive over a longer period of time.
