Having already sold Douglas Luiz to Juventus, Aston Villa are now reportedly set to show the door to another senior player, who will be announced by his new club on July 13.
Aston Villa transfer news
It's been a frantic first few weeks for Aston Villa in the summer transfer window. Luiz has swapped the Midlands for Juventus in a deal that saw Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea arrive, whilst the Villans also made time to welcome Ross Barkley and Ian Maatsen. The former comes in following an excellent season at Luton Town and four years on from his loan spell at Villa Park.
With four fresh faces through the door, Unai Emery will hope that Luiz's exit doesn't deal his side too much a blow ahead of his side's Premier League and Champions League campaign next season.
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As four new stars arrive, however, one transfer flop is reportedly heading for the exit door to bring an end to a spell to forget at Villa Park over the last two years.
According to Lucas Pedrosa, Philippe Coutinho is set to leave Aston Villa and will be formally announced by Vasco de Gama in exactly 10 days to bring his career full circle, having started his career at the Brazilian club. Over a decade later and now 32 years old, Coutinho is set to end a frustrating spell in the Midlands and return to the most familiar surroundings, being unveiled on July 13 before making his debut on July 17.
Whilst the move has a wholesome element, Coutinho should be leaving with the question of what might have been at Villa Park in what sums up his career trajectory since swapping Liverpool for Barcelona in 2018 in a blockbuster deal worth a reported £142m. Since then, the midfielder has struggled and Liverpool have thrived, perhaps representing the Brazilian's ultimate regret.
Why Coutinho is leaving Aston Villa
When Coutinho first arrived in the Midlands, he was very much tipped for great things once again in the Premier League. The returning star seemingly had an ideal platform to get his career back on track and, to his credit, his debut campaign showed enough glimpses to suggest that was exactly the case. Following that campaign, which saw him score five and assist a further three goals in 19 appearances, the former Liverpool star failed to make a significant impact.
Appearances
43
Goals
6
Assists
3
Looking around Villa Park these days, as Iling-Junior, Barrenechea, Maatsen and Barkley arrive, it's clear that there's no room left for Coutinho in Emery's squad in what will see the former star leave with nothing more than a whimper in the next couple of weeks.
A player who rose at Inter Milan, starred at Liverpool, before flopping at Barcelona and adding salt to their wounds by scoring in an 8-2 humiliation with Bayern Munich, Coutinho's career will be looked back on as one with plenty of moments but, ultimately, one that could have left him sitting alongside some of Brazil's greats.