‘A player like that’- Billionaire owner targets Aston Villa ace as Wolves chase EFL star with 25 goal contributions

Cruzeiro’s new owner Pedro Lourenco has confirmed his interest in bringing 68-time Aston Villa midfielder and Brazilian international Philippe Coutinho back to his homeland this summer.

The 31-year-old, who joined Barcelona for a staggering fee of £120m, was brought to Villa Park on a six-month loan deal in January 2022. 

After a strong start, which saw him score five goals in 19 Premier League games, the manager at the time Steven Gerrard opted to make Coutinho’s move a permanent one and signed the midfielder for a fee of £17m, which appeared to be a huge coup at the time.

Coutinho struggled for football in his first full season and after managing just one strike in 20 league games, he was loaned out to Al-Duhail SC, where has again failed to make the desired impact.

The Brazilian was once regarded as one of the most exciting talents in world football, but it is hard to see him getting back into the Villa team at this time, and Lourenco believes a transfer back to Brazil would be the dream option, particularly if reports suggesting that Coutinho’s contract will be cancelled are true.

“A big dream is Coutinho, for example. We have a big dream of bringing him in. A player like that,” he said, speaking to Globo. “Coutinho is a real dream, and if we can bring him in, we’ll make every effort.”

Wolves set their sights on in-form Championship star after fantastic season

Wolves are looking to add further creativity and flair to their midfield in the summer transfer window and have reportedly made Gabriel Sara their top target, according to Football League World.

Sara was amongst the best performing midfielders in the Championship last term and his record of 13 goals and 12 assists earned him a place in the 2023/24 Team of the Season as the Canaries reached the play-offs.

However, after the setback of losing 4-0 to Leeds in the play-off semi-final along with the departure of David Wagner it is suspected that Sara could move on to a top-flight club.

Wolves are among the clubs interested in signing the 24-year-old along with AS Roma and Crystal Palace who could emerge with rival bids.