Philippe Coutinho wants to leave Aston Villa and return to Brazil but the Premier League outfit are highly unlikely to terminate his £125,000-a-week contract, according to Goal.
Ahead of the January transfer window, Villa’s Brazil international finds himself in a rather familiar situation. Barcelona spent years trying to get Coutinho off the books, only to find that the playmaker’s eye-watering wages were making finding a willing buyer far more difficult than it otherwise might have been.
Coutinho, per The Telegraph, was eventually forced accepted a staggering 70 per cent pay cut when swapping Barca for Aston Villa last year. And the one-time Inter Milan starlet will need to drop his demands again if he’s to secure a return to Brazil during the January transfer window.
Even the biggest clubs in South America could only dream of matching Coutinho’s current pay-packet. As Goal point out, a potential move to Corinthians, for instance, is made all the more ‘difficult’ by the 30-year-old’s £125,000-a-week salary.
Philippe Coutinho facing uncertain future Aston Villa with Brazil return on the cards
Coutinho only joined Aston Villa on a permanent £17 million deal seven months ago. A bright start has petered out, however; the 2020 Champions League winner yet to score or assist a goal across 13 games this season.
The departure of Steven Gerrard, his former Liverpool team-mate and the man who played a major role in his arrival at Bodymoor Heath, raises yet more doubts about his future in England’s second city. Unai Emery, Gerrard’s successor, prefers quicker, more mobile options in the final third. A rejuvenated Leon Bailey, for instance.
Per Goal, Coutinho ‘wants to leave’ Aston Villa. Corinthians are keen, and have an excellent relationship with the attacker’s agent; the influential Kia Joorabchian.
An initial loan deal is not entirely impossible. Aston Villa are unlikely to countenance ripping up Coutinho’s contract, however, after only half-a-season as a permanent member of the squad.
“He is a shadow of a player we know he is,” former Liverpool ace Jamie Carragher told Sky; Coutinho coming in for criticism after another forgettable performance during October’s meeting with Nottingham Forest.
“It did not go well at Barcelona. He is a million miles off it.”
Big departures expected at Aston Villa
In addition to Coutinho, Marvelous Nakamba, Morgan Sanson and Frederic Guilbert could also leave Villa Park in 2023. Guilbert was disappointed to miss out on a summer move, and is determined to make up for lost time.
“Now, I’m looking to the future. With Unai Emery, I have never had a discussion,” the seldom-seen right-back explains.
“I can’t stay in this situation forever. We are studying the possibilities with my entourage; whether it is a loan with an option to buy or a straight transfer. The only certainty is that I have to have playing time at a club to revive myself. This is the most important thing for me.
“It’s no secret (that I’m available for transfer). For the moment, there is nothing, but I’m open to suggestions. I’m on the market. What matters to me is to play and find pleasure quickly.
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