The latest on Philippe Coutinho’s future after a brutal Aston Villa revelation.
Aston Villa are in the process of trying to offload Philippe Coutinho as the attacking midfielder is still having a significant impact on the wage bill.
The Villans are facing two big financial challenges this summer and the number of high salaries needs to be reduced. Villa are struggling to conform to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR), while UEFA’s squad cost ratio regulations (SCR) are causing problems.
Coutinho, who has spent the past season on loan at boyhood club Vasco da Gama after a year at Qatari side Al-Duhail SC, still has 12 months to run on his Villa contract. The 68-time former Brazil international has not played for the Villans since August 2023 but remains on the club’s books with his £125,000-a-week salary.
The Athletic reports Villa are trying once again to reach an agreement to cancel Coutinho’s deal early as they believe the 32-year-old has no future at the club. It’s likely Villa will have to pay out some compensation to the attacking midfielder in order to get him to agree a mutual termination.
It’s a great shame it never worked out for Coutinho at Villa Park after he arrived as a global superstar from Barcelona for a fee of £17 million. The 31-year-old impressed during an initial loan spell as he netted five and assisted three in 19 games but he failed to meet expectations when signed permanently, as just one goal in 22 games followed.
Coutinho’s original move to Barcelona from Liverpool was for a remarkable £142 million but he never lived up to his lofty expectations. In three and a half seasons at the Camp Nou, Coutinho scored 25 goals and provided 14 assists in 106 appearances. That would be a decent return for most clubs, but considering the fee and the elite status of Barça, the transfer was a failure.
Bayern Munich was Coutinho’s first loan destination from Barcelona and he did well in Germany, scoring 11 goals and making nine assists in 38 games. The Brazilian seems to like temporary moves away from clubs as he can rediscover his form in new surroundings, but Villa will no longer offer any such opportunity.
Villa hoping to avoid Coutinho repeat with Asensio swoop
The Villa Park faithful will be hoping and praying that Marco Asensio doesn’t follow the same trajectory as Coutinho. Birmingham World understands talks are ongoing between Villa and Paris Saint-Germain over a permanent transfer following a successful six-month loan spell.
Just like Coutinho, Asensio’s best form came in his first matches for the club as he scored eight goals in his first 11 appearances. Three times a Champions League winner with Real Madrid and now crowned for a fourth time thanks to his appearances for PSG earlier in the campaign, Asensio’s form tailed off at the end of the season.
If he does join permanently, Villa will be hoping he manages to find much better form than when Coutinho signed for the long term three years ago.
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