Corinthians are reportedly interested in signing Aston Villa playmaker Philippe Coutinho, with the Brazilian giants joining Flamengo in the race for the 30-year-old.
According to Globo Esporte, the South American giants are keeping tabs on the magician despite Coutinho only signing for Villa this year, with the winger joining on loan in January before Steven Gerrard made the deal permanent in the summer.
Despite the Brazilian’s immense reputation and patches of pure quality, Coutinho has endured a difficult season at Villa Park despite impressing last campaign, with Corinthians now interested in signing the former FC Barcelona star in 2023.
Vitor Pereira is not the only Brazilian club looking to sign Coutinho, though, with Coluna do Fla reporting that Flamengo are also interested in the Villa playmaker, with the report stating that Unai Emery is open to selling the Rio de Janeiro-born superstar.
Indeed, offloading Coutinho now might be an unusual decision for Villa given how good the Brazilian still is and how much the former Liverpool wizard can offer Emery and his team in the second half of the season, yet a sizeable transfer offer could easily change things.
After all, Coutinho is one of Villa’s highest-paid players and a talent who Emery could build the team around rather than sell at the first point of call. However, given the Brazilian’s age and form this season, a move could be beneficial for all parties if the offer is right.
Corinthians could sign Coutinho with a convincing offer
Coutinho’s career is stuck in some odd purgatory, with the playmaker clearly good enough to compete at a top European level but currently showing signs that his peak is well beyond him, and for Corinthians, this means that a convincing offer could help the Brazilian side land the Villa player.
With Emery seemingly open to the idea of offloading Coutinho, there’s every chance that Villa will accept a reasonable offer for the playmaker if a club like Corinthians are able to come with a good bid, with the winger potentially also keen on a return to Brazil.
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