Philippe Coutinho gives cryptic response about possible reunion with ex-Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi at Inter Miami… with the Brazilian facing uncertain future at Aston Villa

Philippe Coutinho gave a cryptic response when asked about rumours linking him to a reunion with former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi. 

The Brazilian – who is currently on loan at Qatari outfit Al-Duhali from Aston Villa – is facing an uncertain future at Villa Park, with his contract set to expire in 2026.

The former Liverpool playmaker has scored five times in 11 appearances for the Middle East club after falling out of favour in the Midlands and he was quizzed about the possibility of joining Messi at the MLS team. 

Coutinho featured for the Catalan side alongside Messi for four seasons between 2017 and 2022 – after joining from Liverpool for a reported £142million, one of the most expensive transfers ever at the time. 

And during an interview with Spanish outlet Sport, he played things coy rumours he could move to Inter Miami to play alongside Messi again, but refused to rule it out.

Philippe Coutinho gave a cryptic response when asked about a reunion with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the future

The Brazilian is currently on loan at Qatar outfit Al-Duhail from Aston Villa this season

‘I only think about the moment,’ he said. ‘I want to be well, prepare well, play good games, enjoy football. We never know what will happen in the future. 

‘My name always appears in the newspapers where they speak in every way, good and bad. I try not to look at them and I’m just worried about doing my job well and enjoying it.’ 

Coutinho struggled for game time during his spell at the Nou Camp but still managed a total of 106 appearances, scoring 26 times. 

He did feature as a key player in the 2018-19 campaign, starting 22 games in LaLiga and playing 54 games in all competitions, scoring 11 times. 

However, his game time became more and more reduced as time went on and he ended up being sent on loan to Bayern Munich in 2019 and then to Villa in 2022.

Coutinho is facing an uncertain future at Villa Park after falling out of favour under Unai Emery

After a stunning start to his loan spell at Villa, the move was made permanent at the end of the 2021-22 season, but he struggled to replicate his earlier form. He has a total of six goals from 43 appearances.

When asked about his time at Barcelona alongside Messi, Coutinho said he had ‘no regrets’ as he achieved his dream of featuring for the Spanish giants. 

‘No. At no time. Things did not turn out as I imagined, as people expected, as I expected because I am the first to demand myself on the field, I tell myself that I have to give more on the field, etc.

‘I tried everything, I have always been very professional and I don’t regret anything. It was always my dream to play for Barca and I went there, I enjoyed it, I was able to meet many people, win titles and it will always be in the story of my life.’

Meanwhile, Coutinho refused to give much away when asked about his future at Villa.

‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I just want to live in the moment, enjoy my teammates, my team (Al-Duhail), help them as much as I can and enjoy football here.