Forgotten Aston Villa man 'agrees' transfer after months of uncertainty

Aston Villa's Philippe Coutinho is inching closer to a return to boyhood club Vasco da Gama. The 31-year-old has reportedly agreed on terms to return to the Brazilian club while his contract termination with Villa drags on. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has claimed Villa will give the green light for Coutinho to leave soon.

It would allow Coutinho to return to the club where he started his career as a free agent, meaning Vasco do not need to pay a fee to sign him. He still has years left on his current contract, but spent last season on loan at Qatar side Al-Duhail, where he made 21 appearances, scoring six goals and recording three assists.

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Coutinho joined Villa in January 2022 for £17m after former boss Steven Gerrard pushed for his signature. He signed from Barcelona for the second half of the 2021/22 campaign and made a stunning return to the Premier League.

He recorded seven goal involvements in his first eight appearances for the club, but produced just two in his next 37 games in all competitions.

Another Brazilian, Douglas Luiz, is set to leave Villa shortly too. He is close to joining Juventus in a deal worth €50m. In a separate transaction, Villa will sign Juventus' Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea.

Meanwhile, Villa have signed Lewis Dobbin and Ian Maatsen so far, while Omari Kellyman will follow Tim Iroegbunam - who joined Everton in a deal worth up to £13m - out of the door. The 18-year-old will join Chelsea for £19m after Villa signed left-back Maatsen for £37.5m.

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