Brazilian side Corinthians are reportedly keen on signing Aston Villa’s Philippe Coutinho.
That’s according to a recent report from Globo Esporte, who claim the 30-year-old South American is a target for Vitor Pereira’s Corinthians.
Since joining Villa from Barcelona, Coutinho, 30, has endured an up and down time. Signed by former teammate Steven Gerrard, following the Englishman’s dismissal and Unai Emery’s arrival, Coutinho has found himself a peripheral figure.
Having started in just six Premier League games so far this season, it is clear that Emery prefers other options and that has probably inspired Corinthians’ audacious interest.
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It has been claimed that Coutinho’s agent Kia Joorabchian is ‘trying his best’ to work out a move for his client, but it remains unknown if Aston Villa would welcome a sale either in January or next summer.
Although Gerrard’s decision to bring Coutinho back to the Premier League was viewed as some shrewd business at the time, things haven’t quite gone right for the 30-year-old. In fact, he has never recaptured the form he displayed while at Liverpool prior to moving to Barcelona in 2018.
Aston Villa may stick with him and give him another season to prove his worth, but fans probably wouldn’t be surprised if their club did decide to part ways ahead of time.