Aston Villa set for shock Philippe Coutinho move

Talks with the Brazil international’s agent over a loan deal have taken place with Villa boss Steven Gerrard keen to be reunited with his former Liverpool team-mate.

Coutinho moved to the Nou Camp in a £142million deal in 2018 but has struggled to hit the heights in Spain and spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Bayern Munich.

This season the midfielder has featured in only five matches and Barcelona are looking to get his hefty salary off the books as part of a large-scale rebuild.

Villa are one of several Premier League clubs interested in the 29-year-old, who also has offers from elsewhere in Europe.

The club’s January window has so far been a story of departures. Defender Axel Tuanzebe has been recalled by Manchester United ahead of a loan move to Napoli, while Keinan Davis has joined Nottingham Forest for the rest of the season.

Forgotten Villa striker Wesley has also secured a loan switch back to Brazil in a bid to kickstart his career.

The 25-year-old is set to join Internacional on a 12-month deal, to run in line with the Brazilian domestic campaign, after cutting short a season-long deal at Club Brugge.

Wesley had barely featured for the Belgian club since joining in the summer. Villa, who signed Wesley from Brugge in a then club-record £21million deal in 2019, have approved the latest switch in the hope the forward can rediscover his form following the serious knee injury which kept him sidelined for nearly 16 months until April last year.

Tuanzebe’s exit means Villa are now in the market for central defensive cover, while the full-back positions also remain a priority. Scottish teenager Aaron Hickey, currently impressing in Serie A with Bologna, is one player on their radar. Everton's Lucas Digne has also been linked

Several academy players including Dominic Revan, Brad Young and Louie Barry have returned to Bodymoor Heath at the end of loan spells and are expected to be moved out again before the end of the month.