Barcelona Star Philippe Coutinho In Talks With Aston Villa

Philippe Coutinho could be on the way back to the Premier League, with Aston Villa in talks with Barcelona over a move for the player.

Coutinho left Liverpool to join Barcelona in 2018 but things haven't gone at all to plan for the Brazilian since he moved to the Nou Camp.

In recent times he has been linked with a move away from the Spanish giants, with Arsenal and Everton amongst those linked with a move for the 29-year-old.

With Barcelona desperate to make room in their wage cap, having just signed Ferran Torres from Manchester City, a move back to the Premier League is looking more likely.

Now it looks like he could be moving to Villa, with Cadena Cope reporting that the two clubs have started negotiations for a loan move until the end of the season.

Coutinho has failed to live up to expectations at Barcelona. Image: PA

Another report from Spanish journalist Gerard Romero says that the former Inter Milan midfielder has been contacted by Villa boss Steven Gerrard about the move.

The two played together during the Brazilian's time at Anfield, with Gerrard's career with his hometown club coming to an end during the spell.

Gerrard took over the reigns at Villa Park from Dean Smith in November and so far his only losses have come against Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, and they've all been tight defeats.

A chance to sign Coutinho, and a chance to revive his career under Gerrard, might be too much for either man to ignore and would be a huge coup for Villa.

Gerrard and Coutinho enjoyed some good times at Anfield together. Image: PA Images

Coutinho was arguably Liverpool's best player when Barcelona first tried to sign him in the summer transfer window of 2017, and the Reds were able to keep hold of him.

The following January they finally sold him for a fee that could have risen to as much as £142 million once add ons and clauses had been reached.

He has played just 106 times over four and a half seasons for Barca, and not all of those have been starts, and even went on loan to Bayern Munich during the 2019/20 season, winning the Champions League after helping knock his parent club out.

Whilst his time in La Liga hasn't gone according to plan, former teammate Glen Johnson told SPORTbible exclusively he believes Coutinho could thrive back in the Premier League.