One of the biggest headaches at Aston Villa these days is their inability to find a landing spot for Philippe Coutinho, who clearly isn’t a long-term part of Unai Emery’s plans.
The Brazilian saw his game time drastically reduced after the arrival of the Spaniard at Villa Park, which has led to a lot of talk about an exit, potentially to Turkey where Besiktas have been linked.
However, if the Süper Lig club’s sporting director, Ceyhun Kazancı, speaking to journalist Övünç Özdem, is to be believed, that isn’t going to happen any time soon.
He said: “No Coutinho. His annual wage is €7m. His transfer cannot be realised under these conditions. I don’t know if things will change in the last days of the transfer window, but it is impossible now.”
The 31-year-old first arrived at Aston Villa on loan from Barcelona, which initially went well, and that is why Aston Villa eventually spent €20m to sign him permanently.
After that, however, his and the club’s form dipped under Steven Gerrard, which eventually led to the Englishman’s dismissal.
That’s when Unai Emery took over, and he started starting less regularly, eventually getting injured, which saw him miss most of the back end of the season.
Either way, Besiktas won’t be making a move just yet, meaning that if Aston Villa do want to get rid of the Brazilian, they will have to look elsewhere.
Ceyhun Kazancı:”Coutinho olmaz. Yıllık ücreti 7 milyon Euro. Bu şartlarda transferi gerçekleşmez. Transfer döneminin son günleri iş değişirse bilemem ama şu an imkansız.”
— Övünç Özdem (@ovuncozdem) July 3, 2023
