Aston Villa in talks to sign Barcelona midfielder on a six-month loan

In an interesting turn of events, it seems Philippe Coutinho’s time at Barcelona might finally be coming to an end. The Brazilian has reportedly accepted the fact that he will not have a leading role in the team, which heavily jeopardises his chances to play at the World Cup 2022 with Brazil.

He has been rumoured with a move back to the Premier League, with Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, and Arsenal interested. However, these links took a sharp right today as Helena Condis reported that Aston Villa have entered in talks to sign Coutinho on a six-month loan.

Villa manager, Steven Gerrard, played with Coutinho at Liverpool for two years, and is said to be fond of the midfielder.

In his fourth year as a Barça player now, Coutinho has not done enough to warrant a place in the team, especially ahead of the likes of Gavi, Nico Gonzalez, Frenkie de Jong, or Pedri.

Barcelona are desperately trying to reduce their wage bill in an attempt to sign and register players. Ferran Torres was signed from Manchester City for €55 million, but his registration with the senior team is still pending.

Offloading Coutinho, who is reportedly the highest earner in the team, will help create a lot of wiggle room for Joan Laporta and co.