Philippe Coutinho
Outcast... Philippe Coutinho (Image: Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images)
Philippe Coutinho's future is expected to be resolved once and for all this summer.
The Brazilian has spent almost a year back in his native country with Vasco da Gama on a year-long loan agreement with Villa, and he is playing regularly in their campaign which commenced in January.
Coutinho, who is 33 this summer, has a year remaining on his Villa contract as of this coming summer, but it's likely he's played his last game for the club.
That was all the way back in August 2023 in the hammering of Everton at Villa Park, a game in which he sustained a hamstring injury.
The playmaker, brought to the club by his former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard, initially on loan before making the deal a permanent arrangement in the summer of 2022, hasn't proven to be value for money.
As a result, Gerrard's successor, Unai Emery, has been happy to send him out on loan - firstly to Qatar and now to Vasco.
The coming summer, when the existing loan deal expires, will fall midway through Vasco's season, but it's not yet a guarantee that they'll be in a position financially to renew the terms with Villa, who would likely entertain another loan spell for the remainder of Coutinho's claret and blue contract.
“We’ll wait," Vasco manager Fabio Carille recently said of the prospect of an extension. "On the technical side, yes, but we have to look at the financial side, other things about the club.
"We still have a few months, this hasn’t been discussed, but it’s better to wait and understand everything to do what’s best for everyone.”
Those comments came after executive director of football Marcelo Sant’Ana confirmed: “We are also evaluating this with the player himself. Coutinho still has one more year on his contract with Aston Villa.
“We know how important he is. He has already shown signs of growth this season. He had the opportunity to do a pre-season, to get in better condition. He is adapting and happy.
"If this story continues in a positive way in the middle of the year, we will definitely try to extend his contract.”
Now it has emerged that Mexican side CF Monterrey are keen on offering Coutinho an avenue to Mexico at the end of his loan agreement with Vasco.
However, RTI add that the player himself has no interest in making that move because he doesn't want to leave Vasco and would rather remain where he is.
It could leave Villa with a tricky situation to clear up in the summer if Vasco aren't in a position to renew the terms of the deal and Coutinho doesn't entertain the interest of other clubs who would be keen to offer him a way out of B6.
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