Aston Villa player not expected to change mind – Focused on specific transfer despite strong approaches

Philippe Coutinho’s move to Vasco da Gama is suddenly becoming a saga in Brazil, even though it’s not Aston Villa causing problems.

The latest news in this case is that Botafogo are now claimed to be interested in him, and are watching the situation to possibly beat their Rio de Janeiro rivals for the signing.

A fresh story from Globo Esporte claims that Coutinho continues to give Vasco his priority, and the talks for the transfer are still on.

Botafogo, however, already held informal talks to land him. They’re respecting his relationship with his former club, though, and will only open negotiations in case those talks collapse.

The funny thing in this story is that Aston Villa don’t even get a mention. The English club are apparently ready to let Coutinho go, and won’t impact his destination.

On Twitter, journalist Bruno Andrade writes that Vasco are the player’s plan A, B and C. It’s said he’s ‘decided’ about returning to the club, even though he was advised otherwise.

As Aston Villa watch the situation, they surely just want to get rid of his salary, as he still has a contract there until 2026.