ASTON VILLA NOW OPEN TO SELLING £125,000-A-WEEK PLAYER, TWO CLUBS WANT HIM – FABRIZIO ROMANO
Aston Villa are open to letting attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho leave the club.
That is according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Italian journalist recently shared on Twitter that Real Betis and Besiktas have approached Aston Villa about signing Philippe Coutinho and that the Villans are open to doing a deal but only on their terms.
Coutinho did feature in Villa’s first two Premier League games of the new season, but it appears that Unai Emery is still happy to let him go.
The 31-year-old had a disappointing 2022/23 campaign, managing to score just one goal in the top flight.
Philippe Coutinho should leave Aston Villa
There was such a buzz around Villa when Coutinho joined the Midlands club on an initial loan deal in the 2022 winter transfer window.
He was a Brazil international joining from Barcelona, so it was hardly a surprise, and he did manage to impress at first.
In 19 Premier League appearances, Coutinho scored five goals and provided three assists. He was not exactly back to his best, not reaching the level he was at during his Liverpool days. However, the £125,000-a-week (Spotrac) star did show a lot of promise and looked like he could bring a lot to Villa’s attack.
Unfortunately for Steven Gerrard and his successor, though, the form he showed in his first few months as a Villa player disappeared and is yet to come back.
When you consider that, now could be a good time for Coutinho to move on. The former Barcelona man is no longer a starter and Villa are getting on fine without him being in the team.
It was easy to see the logic behind bringing him to Villa Park but, in the end, things have not worked out and a transfer now looks to be best for all parties.
