Ex-Liverpool attacker worth £142m set to join Qatar champions Al Duhail

Former Liverpool attacker Philippe Coutinho is set to join Qatari side Al Duhail in a permanent move.

The Brazilian has struggled for game time at Aston Villa since Unai Emery’s appointment, as he started just seven games last season and didn’t feature after the end of February.

Coutinho, 31, was deemed surplus to requirements this summer after making just two substitute appearances so far and he is close to finalising a move last season’s Qatar league champions.

According to Sky Sports News, Coutinho is close to agreeing a move to Al-Duhail, and personal terms were reportedly agreed a week ago.

Furthermore, Fabrizio Romano has reported that prior to his agreement with the Middle Eastern club, he had been approached by Real Betis and Besiktas but the player opted for the move to Qatar.

He played 201 times for Liverpool after arriving from Inter Milan in 2013 and went onto score 54 times and provide 45 assists in a glittering spell on Merseyside.

After five years at the club, he made a £142m move to Barcelona in 2018 which still stands as one of the most expensive signings of all time.

That move failed to take off as he played just 106 times, scoring 25 goals. Following that, he was loaned out to Bayern Munich to re-establish his career and ended up scoring twice against his parent club during a humiliating 8-2 victory in the Champions League semi-finals.

He returned to the Premier League on loan at Aston Villa, where he initially showed promise before completing a permanent move last summer for £17m.