Philippe Coutinho demands contract is terminated as latest transfer move turns sour

Philippe Coutinho could be on the move again, with the former Liverpool and Barcelona attacking midfielder experiencing a falling out the Brazilian club at Vasco de Gama

Philippe Coutinho of Vasco da Gama.(Image: Wagner Meier/Getty Images)

Former Liverpool and Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho could have his contract terminated at the Brazilian outfit Vasco da Gama after he surprised the club's president by requesting an exit.

Coutinho, who played 201 times for Liverpool and is now 33, has supposedly told his head coach, Fernando Diniz, that he wants to leave. The decision is said to be "irreversible" even though he is tied down until June as things stand.

Recently booed by his own fans, things have not gone well lately for Coutinho, who left Liverpool in 2018 for a fee of around $193 million (£143 million). Globo reports that he wants out as a result.

"Stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honor," Jurgen Klopp famously told Coutinho before he left Liverpool to sign for Barcelona.

"Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here you can be something more."

Coutinho has steadily been on the decline since. His dream move to Spain proved to be a nightmare and a short-term uplift at Bayern Munich proved unsustainable.

Philippe Coutinho is on his way out of another club(Image: Wagner Meier, Getty Images)

Signed at Aston Villa by Steven Gerrard, his former Liverpool teammate, Coutinho was never able to get his career back on track and spent a period of time in Qatar.

"Things did not turn out as I imagined and as people expected," Coutinho admitted in 2023. "I am the first to demand of myself on the field; I tell myself that I have to give more on the field.

"But 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.

"I would not change anything. Going back is impossible, but as I said I don't regret anything.

"I always gave my best in training as I do here and as I did last year and as I will do next year. If things fit well, great and if not, patience."

Liverpool.com says: Though his career quickly unraveled after he left Anfield, it is hard to say that he made the wrong decision at the time. Coutinho was more than good enough to play for Barcelona, even if it just didn't happen for him in Spain. It was his dream move and it is understandable that he wanted to give it a go.