Philippe Coutinho latest as Liverpool icon transfer dilemma ‘leaves Aston Villa in the dark’

Philippe Coutinho appeared to be on his way out of Aston Villa on Deadline Day but the Brazilian superstar remains contracted to the club, for now.

The entire saga has gone rather silent and Villa fans have been left in the dark as they wonder whether they’ll ever see Coutinho in claret and blue again.

It was somewhat of a dream come true when the former Liverpool man signed from Barcelona in January of last year but injuries have halted his progress.

Coutinho scored on his Villa debut – against Manchester United no less – but things appeared to go downhill as soon as his loan move turned permanent last summer.

The 31-year-old has scored just one competitive goal in 2023 and that came in the 4-2 defeat to Arsenal in February – a game in which he went off injured.

Pre-season was very promising this time around and a couple of cameos off the bench excited supporters but that was once again ended prematurely.

Coutinho went off with an agonising hamstring pull against Everton recently and hasn’t played since. It could turn out to be his last game for Villa based on the latest reports.

What are the latest Coutinho transfer reports?

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich man has already agreed personal terms with Qatari side Al Duhail, according to reliable transfer news reporter Fabrizio Romano.

It was claimed on Deadline Day that Villa were ready to “sort the final details” for Coutinho to make the move to the Middle East but nothing concrete has emerged since then.

Spanish La Liga side Real Betis and Turkish Süper Lig outfit Besiktas have both contacted the player directly but Coutinho “didn’t listen” to their respective offers.

As it’s understood a few days on, the attacking midfielder still has an agreement in place to join Al Duhail but he’s still waiting on a green light from Villa to depart.

It’s worth noting that the transfer window in Qatar doesn’t actually slam shut until September 18, meaning Coutinho still has plenty of time to seal a move.

The lack of a replacement signing on Deadline Day may have got in the way of a departure altogether, however, if Unai Emery’s comments are anything to go by.

What has Unai Emery said about Coutinho’s future at Aston Villa?

Although not stated directly, Emery appeared to hint on Friday that the squad would need to be improved for Coutinho to definitely depart Villa Park.

“Coutinho has a possibility to leave. We could have the possibility to add someone, but the last day is difficult to get something to improve our squad.

“There’s one day left to complete the squad and we will be ready to do it,” Emery said, subtly implying he needs depth in numbers ahead of a busy season.