Vasco da Gama president Pedrinho has now spoken about the operation to sign Philippe Coutinho from Aston Villa.
The club chief spoke to the Brazilian media, and confirmed there are talks on the way.
According to Pedrinho, he’ll soon meet Coutinho to talk about the transfer, as the midfielder still needs to get the release from Aston Villa. The quotes come from ESPN.
“Coutinho’s presence causes a stir. In my house too, my son asks me every day (laughs). Being very truthful, he obviously has a contract with Aston Villa. The most important thing is that he’s very keen to come to Vasco, and we’re very keen to bring in this great player and idol of the Vasco fans,” said Coutinho.
“Now, this is not an easy move. The positive thing is that both parties are very interested. This week, probably after Vasco vs Flamengo, I’ll have a meeting with him and we’ll have more direction. Right now it’s just telephone conversations, obviously the interest is clear, now when we sit down and talk we’ll understand the reality and then we can think about the next step.”
Recent reports from the Brazilian media claimed that Aston Villa are now being a little tough to release Coutinho from his contract. Since Vasco’s idea is to sign him for free, that’s an obstacle in the negotiations.
The midfielder’s contract with the Villans still runs until 2026, so there could be a little hope at the English side that they could get some millions with his sale this summer.
Coutinho, however, is willing to make a sacrifice to get the transfer to Vasco. Since they’re his childhood club, he’s set to accept a major pay cut to rejoin them.
The midfielder spent the last season on loan at Al-Hilal, but there was no intention from them for a purchase.
