Aston Villa has officially confirmed that Brazilian veteran Philippe Coutinho has left the Premier League side to join his boyhood club, Vasco da Gama, permanently.
Coutinho, now 33, started his professional journey at Vasco’s youth academy before moving to Europe.
The Brazilian had a glittering career at Inter Milan and Liverpool before moving to Barcelona and having a spell at Bayern Munich.
He later signed with Villa in January 2022 and went on loan spells, with the most recent back in Brazil with Vasco.
The 33-year-old, who had one year left on his contract at Villa Park, scored six goals in 43 appearances for the West Midlands club but spent the past two campaigns out on loan at A-Duhail in Qatar and Brazilian side Vasco, respectively.
In his 2024–25 loan spell, Coutinho appeared 31 times and netted 5 goals, showcasing flashes of his trademark brilliance as an attacking midfielder
Now, as a permanent signing, he’s expected to lead Vasco’s resurgence in the 2025 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A season as both a talisman and mentor.
Aston Villa is expected to welcome a relief to their salary structure, with Coutinho, who was not in Unai Emery’s plans, earning a hefty wage.
The English side, who narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification, will look to bolster their squad, with Marcus Rashford also back to Manchester United.
Recall that Softfootball had earlier reported Aston Villa attempting to sign French player Matteo Guendouzi from Lazio this summer, with the English club leading the chase for his signature. The Villains are eager to bring Guendouzi back to the English Premier League, where he initially dazzled in the colours of Arsenal.
Guendouzi has done well at Lazio since joining permanently from Marseille, making a total of 70 league appearances across two seasons. The Frenchman offers versatility in midfield and can be regarded as a workhorse in the middle of the park. He would undoubtedly be a valuable addition to either Newcastle or Aston Villa.
