Aston Villa will not let Philippe Coutinho leave the Premier League during the January transfer window amid rumours of a return to Brazilian footballer with Corinthians or Vasco da Gama, the playmaker’s representative tells Jorge Nicola.
If that 12 minute cameo against Tottenham Hotspur is anything to go by, Coutinho might still have a big part of play under Unai Emery.
The former Liverpool, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich playmaker caught the eye during Villa’s 2-0 win in North London, frolicking and slaloming across the turf in a manner reminiscent of Coutinho’s exhilarating spell at Anfield.
He certainly didn’t look like a footballer who had given up on life in claret and blue. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Reports from Goal in December suggested that Coutinho was hoping to leave Aston Villa during the winter window. The message coming out of the 30-year-old’s camp, however, is that nothing could be further from the truth.
Philippe Coutinho won’t be leaving Aston Villa amid Corinthians rumours
“I got in touch with one of Philippe Coutinho’s representatives,” Nicola begins. “What I heard was the following; Coutinho doesn’t want to come to Brazil. Aston Villa won’t let him either, and his salary is practically unfeasible (for clubs in Brazil to pay).
“The chance of a deal is almost zero.”
Coutinho reportedly earns around £125,000-a-week at Villa Park. The financial situation facing most clubs in Brazil’s Serie A, however, makes a return pretty much impossible right now. Sao Paulo, for instance, have already admitted that a deal for Spurs benchwarmer Lucas Moura is beyond their means. And he earns a lot less per week than Coutinho does.
“Really, he is very happy,” fellow Brazilian and Aston Villa team-mate Douglas Luiz tells ESPN when asked about Coutinho’s future.
“We always talk. We always joke about going back to Vasco together. And I hope that one day we can play together there. But he’s very happy here. Our focus is here for the moment.
“He is, I think, 30 now, and a player can play at a high level until he’s 35. So I don’t think he’s in that rush to go to Brazil now. He’s very happy here.”
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