Aston Villa Nears Philippe Coutinho Contract Termination to Cut Wage Bill

Aston Villa is moving towards a mutual termination of Philippe Coutinho's contract to remove his substantial wages from their books amid financial and Premier League salary cap pressures. The 33-year-old Brazilian, who has not played for Villa since August 2023 and spent the last two seasons on loan at Al-Duhail and Vasco da Gama, is expected to return permanently to Brazil, with Vasco da Gama keen to sign him. Villa views the termination as a pragmatic solution to free up salary space and align with financial regulations, as Coutinho still has one year remaining on his contract but is not part of manager Unai Emery's future plans. Despite an illustrious career peak at Liverpool, Coutinho's moves to Barcelona and subsequent clubs, including Bayern Munich and Villa, have not reignited his form, making this a necessary step for both player and club. Coutinho has already waived part of his wages from the previous season, facilitating the process, and the club is also taking other measures like selling their women's team to avoid Premier League financial breaches. This agreement marks the likely end of Coutinho's European career and offers him a chance to find stability back in Brazil.