Inter Miami interested→Will they be mesh mates?
Philippe Coutinho, who once shocked the world by becoming the fourth-most expensive player in history, is attracting interest from Inter Miami.
“Aston Villa’s forgotten Coutinho could be Lionel Messi’s new teammate at Inter Miami,” reported Talk Sport in the United Kingdom on Sept. 9.
Coutinho spent the early part of his career at Inter Milan before blossoming at Liverpool. Between 2013 and 2018, Coutinho played for the Reds, scoring 54 goals and providing 45 assists in 201 appearances. His performances kept Barcelona in the hunt, and he eventually donned a Barcelona shirt in January 2019. At the time, Coutinho set a record transfer fee of €135 million (about $182 billion at the time).
However, life at Barcelona hasn’t been smooth sailing. Coutinho started the 2018-19 season in La Liga, making 34 appearances, but quickly lost his place in the starting lineup. A loan spell at Bayern Munich further diminished his position.
Eventually, Coutinho pulled out the knife. It’s back to the familiar Premier League (PL). He opted for a loan move to Villa, albeit not to his hometown club Liverpool. He chose Villa because of Steven Gerrard. Gerrard and Coutinho had worked together at Liverpool in the past.
Coutinho, who was treated as an afterthought at Barcelona, proved his worth upon his return to the PL. Since joining the team in January 2022, Coutinho has made 19 appearances, scoring five goals and providing three assists as the backbone of the team’s attack. This led to hopes that he could return to his old form.
Eventually, Villa bought Coutinho outright. Villa bought Coutinho outright in May 2022, after signing him on loan. His contract runs until 2026. However, Coutinho struggled again in the 2022-23 season. Injuries kept him out of action for a while, and he ended up scoring just one goal in 20 league games.
With his position diminished, Qatar’s Al Duhail approached him. He opted for a season-long loan. This brought Coutinho together with Kim Moon-hwan. But even at Al Duhail, Coutinho was not at his best. He was frequently sidelined with injuries. In the first half of the season, Coutinho played nine games, scoring four goals and providing one assist.
He is planning to switch teams again. According to ‘Talk Sport’, “Coutinho could move to Inter in the January transfer window to reunite with Messi after a limited start to the season. Coutinho played alongside Messi at Barcelona. A move to Inter Miami would reunite him with Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.”