Aston Villa star Philippe Coutinho closing in on Al-Duhail move

Aston Villa star Philippe Coutinho is inching closer towards a move to Qatari outfit Al-Duhail, reports Fabrizio Romano.

The Brazilian playmaker has given his green light for the move and the two clubs are now working on the final details of the deal.

Coutinho also attracted interest from Turkish outfit Besiktas and Spain’s Real Betis, but he has chosen Qatar as his next destination.

The 31-year-old moved from Barcelona to Villa Park initially on loan with the hopes of reviving his career, and his instant impact saw him complete a permanent move last summer.

However, his form spiralled again last season and he was frozen out of the squad under Unai Emery.

From being Barcelona’s record signing to forcing a move to Qatar, Coutinho’s career has gone awry.

The former Inter Milan star’s fortunes haven’t improved this season after not starting in any of the games in the Premier League or Europa Conference League qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Villans are on the verge of welcoming Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet on loan after reaching an agreement with the La Liga champions.

The French defender is the latest in Villa’s influx of high-profile signings this summer following Moussa Diaby, Nicolo Zaniolo, Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans.

However, their heavy spending spree was questioned after they suffered a humiliating defeat against Newcastle United in the Premier League opener this season.

But Emery’s side responded with back-to-back wins against Everton and Burnley.

They also defeated Hibernian to progress to the group stage of the Europa Conference League.