'Sport' claim that Corinthians are interested in Philippe Coutinho. Flamengo were already in with a chance of being the midfielder's next club for next season or for the second half of the current one. What would complicate the transfer is that Corinthians would like to get the ex-Barcelona man on a free, which seems like it would be hard to do considering his contract runs out in 2026.
It was a little while ago that Philippe Coutinho left Barcelona for Aston Villa. Despite having a great start to his spell, which is what normally happens when his calibre of players leave their club on complicated grounds, he is not playing as he would have hoped to at the moment. He has not started a game since the 10th October, when he played against Nottingham Forest. Having said that, he does have clubs coming after him.
According to 'Sport', Corinthians are keen to get him on board, whether it be for next season, or the second half of this one. What the Brazilian clubs who want to sign him want is to get him on a free. This seems improbable, as Villa have him tied down until 2026, as they signed the contract only recently.
Flamengo already put their hat in the ring in the last few weeks, but it was clear that Unai Emery, in some of his first moves when he arrived at the club, plans to keep him. However, that does not stop the possibility of the player changing his mind if the new manager does not convince him in what remains of the season. This hypothetical situation would be ideal for Coutinho to try and force his exit.
Part of the reason of Coutinho's downfall is this World Cup, which he will just be watching on TV. The Aston Villa man was part of his side's exploits in 2018, but with regards to this winter's, he did not even enter the fray of whether he would be a good option for Tite. In an event, the 'Canarinha' were knocked out by Croatia.