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Report: Philippe Coutinho now does U-turn over Aston Villa exit decision

Photo by Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images
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According to a report by the Express & Star, Philippe Coutinho is keen on staying at Aston Villa amidst links to Galatasaray, despite the club being open to selling him.

After all, it was reported on Monday that the Turkish side were interested in signing the Brazilian international on loan, with their transfer window set to come to a closure on Wednesday.

The ex-Barcelona attacker, described as a ‘genius player’ by Jurgen Klopp, via Be Soccer has not made a single Premier League start under Unai Emery, with his agent recently admitting that an exit was possible. However, there seems to be a new twist in the tale.

As per a report by the Express & Star, Philippe Coutinho has now decided to stay at Aston Villa, despite a potential switch to Galatasaray making a whole lot of sense.

Aston Villa v Leicester City - Premier League
Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images

Further details claim that while Villa are not looking forward to losing another creative player, they would be happy to earn back the £17 million (Sky Sports) fee they initially paid to sign him.

However, a deal seems unlikely, with the Turkish transfer window set to close as soon as on Wednesday, which could mean the ‘magic’ Coutinho could stay at Aston Villa instead of joining Galatasaray.

Coutinho may still have a point to prove

After a fairytale return to England under Steven Gerrard where he scored on debut off the bench against Manchester United, the 30-year-old initially kicked on at Villa Park.

However, the redemption story fizzled out soon after, with Philippe Coutinho struggling at Aston Villa, which led to Sue Smith being critical of him as well and Galatasaray setting their sights on a move for him.

While the ageing attacker has already showcased his class in a career worth being proud of, he may still be keen on redeeming himself, ever since his ill-fated time after leaving Liverpool.