PHILIPPE COUTINHO is closing in on an Aston Villa exit.
The Brazilian playmaker, 31, has failed to establish himself after arriving at Villa Park from Barcelona.
And according to Fabrizio Romano, former club Vasco da Gama are confident of bringing him home after “advanced talks”.
Coutinho has flown out to his homeland and told local media “everyone already knows” where his future lies.
He was snapped up by Steven Gerrard in 2022 in what was hailed as a potential game-changing signing.
But the former Liverpool sensation has managed just six goals and three assists in 43 outings for the Villans.
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Once valued as one of the best players in the world, Coutinho’s career has nosedived since his £142million switch from the Reds to Barca.
Last season he was on loan at Al-Duhail in Qatar, who will not make the move permanent.
Vasco have won two of six league games this season and signing their academy product, who left them for Inter Milan in 2008, would be a huge boost.
There have been reports that the Brazilian club are a target for Villa’s owners, who are trying to build up a portfolio of teams under the V Sports umbrella.
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SunSport exclusively revealed that Villa are set to sell at least one star name this summer despite their Champions League payday.
And a reunion with Manchester City’s Jack Grealish is extremely unlikely even for a £50m fee.
Villa will not land their £50m European windfall until much later next season.
And they reported a record loss of £119.6m up to May 2023 — the highest in Europe, according to Uefa.
Phillipe Coutinho career stats
Inter Milan (47 games, 5 goals, 4 assists)
Vasco da Gama (19 games, 1 goal, 3 assists)
Espanyol (16 games, 5 goals, 1 assist)
Liverpool (201 games, 54 goals, 43 assists)
Barcelona (106 games, 25 goals, 14 assists)
Bayern Munich (38 games, 11 goals, nine assists)
Aston Villa (43 games, 6 goals, 3 assists)
Al-Duhail (21 games, 6 goals, 3 assists)
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
