Al-Duhail closing deal for Aston Villa midfielder Philippe Coutinho

Al-Duhail are closing a deal for Aston Villa midfielder Philippe Coutinho.

A fee has been settled between the two clubs for some weeks, though there had been concern about the midfielder's fitness.

However, there is now confidence in Qatar that a deal will be closed in the coming days.

Speaking on Friday, Villa manager Unai Emery said: "He (Coutinho) is close to leaving, but we are waiting to see if the deal is complete or not. Philippe is a very good person and always we have to respect him as a person, firstly.

"Secondly, as a player, he has played at a very high level. He has not been consistent because of injuries and we decided with him speaking and agreeing with him to try that if something is good for him, and good for the club, and for the squad, we can let him leave.

"Then he can find his good performance as a player. Then it's whether he completes it or not."

Former club Barcelona will be due 50 per cent of Coutinho's fee.