Aston Villa player buys £6m shopping mall – Tied in with his transfer, family will run it

Despite all the initial excitement about Vasco da Gama signing Philippe Coutinho from Aston Villa, that saga slowed down recently.

Journalist Jorge Nicola today points out that the talks are taking ‘longer than expected’, as there’s been no solution between the clubs yet.

Coutinho already has an agreement with Vasco, but as he tries to free himself from Aston Villa, it’s now said it’s not ruled out that he’s loaned to the Rio de Janeiro side.

The midfielder still has a contract with the English club running until 2026, so this isn’t a simple situation to unblock.

In other news, as Coutinho knows he’s close to making the move, Globo Esporte reports that he’s buying a shopping mall in Buzios. He’s paying US$8m (a bit over £6m) for the place, having already made the first payment, and should conclude the deal soon.

Even though that theoretically has nothing to do with the Aston Villa departure, it’s actually seen as another sign that he’ll soon be living in Rio de Janeiro, and it’s his family who are expected to take care of the business.