Corinthians are set to attempt a ‘final blow’ to sign Philippe Coutinho from Aston Villa, according to reports from Brazil.
UOL claims that the Timão have already ‘set the strategy’ they will use to land the 30-year-old, and that’s similar to the one they did when bringing Willian from Arsenal last year. That’s to convince the player and his family that returning to his home country is a good idea.
They’d do that by guaranteeing that he’ll have many starts at Corinthians, where he could feel loved by fans and be treated as an idol, unlike at Aston Villa.
According to UOL, Coutinho doesn’t rule out a move to Brazil, but does have Europe as a priority, especially after publicly stating that he wants to fight for his place at Aston Villa.
Aston Villa’s stance is that they do not intend to rescind the player’s contract, despite that being Corinthians’ initial wish. However, the reports also states the Premier League would accept a sale if they can recover the investment made in his signing, or even loan him out just so he could play more frequently.
