Aston Villa in line for £15m Philippe Coutinho payment after transfer masterstroke
Don Goodman believes Aston Villa could yet recoup up to £15million for unwanted playmaker Philippe Coutinho if he impresses out on loan.
Fabrizio Romano reported on Friday (5 July) that Coutinho is on the verge of completing a loan move to Brazilian side Vasco da Gama.
That follows a suggestion by Sky Sports pundit Dan Bardell that Villa should terminate Coutinho’s contract and accept a massive loss.
However, the Villans have gone down a different route and could yet recoup almost all of their £17m outlay [Sky Sports, May 2022].
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Goodman said: “It’s a tough one. Ultimately, there’s still potential money to be made out of Philippe Coutinho, even if Unai Emery doesn’t see him as an Aston Villa player.
“With him going out on loan, they will hope he has a great season and then get £10-15million for him. There is some potential in that given Coutinho’s previous standing in the game.
“The decision to let him go comes down to Unai Emery’s opinion, and Villa will completely and utterly back his judgement – he hasn’t got too much wrong since joining Villa.”
Aston Villa make right choice with Philippe Coutinho transfer decision
Villa could easily have ripped up Coutinho’s contract given his limited impact at the club and his hefty wages.
However, while loaning him out is hardly the ideal scenario – selling him for a large fee this summer would have been top priority – the Villans have done the next best thing.
Coutinho still has two years to run on his contract, so there is a chance to land some sort of transfer fee in 12 months’ time.
The only way that will happen is if the Brazilian returns to his form of old back in his homeland, at the club where he started his career.
Realistically, it now looks unlikely any European club will take a punt on Coutinho as he will likely go under the radar in Brazil.
But with a bit of luck, it could open the door for a possible move to that part of the world should a South American or MLS club take an interest.
In other Aston Villa news, a first-team regular starred once again while away with his country.
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