Aston Villa will ‘gladly try exchange’ deal in January – Belief player would suit Emery’s style

Aston Villa made Philippe Coutinho’s stay permanent in the summer after initially signing him on a loan deal from Barcelona at the start of this year.

The Brazil international has failed to impress this season and has failed to score a goal or register an assist from 13 matches in all competitions.

A hamstring injury has forced the 30-year-old to miss Aston Villa’s last three outings and he will also miss the 2022 World Cup.

As the attacking midfielder continues to work on his recovery, the Villans seem to have a plan for his future. That’s at least what InterLive.it are reporting. They explain the English club could try and replace him with Inter Milan’s Hakan Çalhanoğlu in January.

It’s claimed Aston Villa would ‘gladly try an exchange’ deal involving Coutinho and the ex-Milan man in the winter market. The latter has managed three goals and five assists with the Serie A side this season and it’s thought his profile would suit Unai Emery’s style at Villa Park.

The Premier League side’s attempt for a swap deal is not contemplated by Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta and other leaders at the San Siro. Coutinho’s high wages are one of the reasons for this.