Philippe Coutinho’s Aston Villa career has taken another twist, with the Brazilian now set to stay on the books at Villa Park.
So far this transfer window, Villa have been extremely busy. Unai Emery has witnessed multiple incomings and outgoings from Villa Park over the past month.
Within the last week alone, the Birmingham outfit saw Douglas Luiz depart for Juventus while three new signings were confirmed including Ian Maatsen.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Villa’s new signing Ian Maatsen.
Another departure that was largely expected was Coutinho. The midfielder has not been in Emery’s plans and was sent out on loan for the majority of the 2023/24 campaign.
As a result, it was reported that Coutinho’s contract, which is set to expire in 2026, would be terminated.
However, it seems like the situation has now changed, with the Brazilian now set to go out on loan.
Aston Villa decide not to terminate Philippe Coutinho’s contract with a loan move to Vasco expected
One club that does seemingly want Coutinho in their team next season is Brazilian side Vasco.
The attacking midfielder progressed through their academy before joining Inter Milan at a young age.
Earlier in the transfer window it was reported that Coutinho wanted to rejoin Vasco and he was prepared to ‘make sacrifices’ to make it happen. Now, it appears that his wish will come true.
According to ge, Coutinho was set to have his contract terminated at Villa. However, the situation has now changed, the Brazilian is set to join Vasco on loan which will be announced in the coming days.
An odd U-turn for Aston Villa and Philippe Coutinho
For all their success so far this summer, this move seems odd from Villa. It is clear that Coutinho has no future at Villa Park and prolonging the inevitable is strange.
The midfielder only has two years left on his current deal, even if he was to play excellently for Vasco, any resale value going into his final season would be minimal.
One of the biggest challenges for Emery and Monchi this summer was to get rid of their deadwood. While Villa have sold Sanson, keeping Coutinho on the books seems impractical.
Hopefully, over the coming weeks, more information will be released which will give fans a clear view of the current situation.
