Aston Villa make big Philippe Coutinho decision ahead of transfer window

Philippe Coutinho will now become a free agent as talks over a return to Vasco da Gama continue

Aston Villa have reportedly mutually agreed to terminate the contract of Philippe Coutinho.

It allows Coutinho to continue talks with boyhood club Vasco da Gama, where he started his career. The Brazilian will now be a free agent, meaning Vasco do not need to pay a fee to sign him.

The 31-year-old still had two years left on his current contract before agreeing to a termination. Back in September, Coutinho joined Qatar side Al-Duhail on loan for the rest of the season, where he made 21 appearances and registered nine goal contributions, scoring six goals and recording three assists.

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Coutinho joined Villa permanently in January 2022 for £17m initially on loan 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 €20m plus Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior.

Meanwhile, Villa are in contact with Chelsea over the sale of Jhon Duran, who could cost around £40m. Matty Cash, valued by Villa at £30m, is also courting interest from AC Milan.

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