Barcelona’s Coutinho linked with Aston Villa

Aston Villa could be Barcelona’s knight in shining armor

Philippe Coutinho has seemingly resigned himself to his Barcelona fate as he’s finally opened up to a possible move away.

One rumor linked him to a move back to Brazil but that fizzled out quickly. The latest rumor now has him going back to the Premier League.

According to journalist Helena Condis Edo, Aston Villa, now managed by Steven Gerrard, is reportedly interested in a loan move for the Brazilian until the end of the season.

Both clubs are working on a deal but one has to assume will involve Villa covering a significant amount of Coutinho’s salary. His salary has been the most significant roadblock in looking for an exit.

If Barcelona no longer have to pay Coutinho’s wages, they would then be free to register Ferran Torres without any problems. The former Manchester City player is currently recovering from an injury and from Covid-19.

After getting an opportunity under Ronald Koeman and now Xavi Hernandez and failing to impress, the writing was on the wall for a while. Coutinho simply does not fit the type of football Barcelona want to play.

Should a move to Villa come to pass, it will mark the second time he’s gone out on loan since arriving at Barcelona. A couple of seasons ago, he went on loan to Bayern Munich before the start of the league campaign.

He had his ups and downs with the German giants but scored twice in the 8-2 rout of Barcelona, on his way to winning the Champions League.

A move back to the Premier League could be the best for Coutinho as that is where he burst on to the scene, so to speak, with Liverpool.

It will be interesting to see whether or not he does well enough to convince Villa to sign him permanently. If that does happen, it would potentially bring an end to the most expensive transfer in Barcelona club history. A transfer both sides wish had gone better.