Saudi Arabia club Al Ettifaq want to pair Aston Villa's Phillipe Coutinho and manager Steven Gerrard

An Aston Villa (and Liverpool) reunion could take place in Saudi Arabia

Steven Gerrard is set to take over as head coach of Al Ettifaq and he could be joined by a former teammate as the Saudi Pro League side target Philippe Coutinho. Ex-Aston Villa and Rangers boss Gerrard said he had turned down the chance to move to Saudi Arabia last month but talks have subsequently resumed and Saudi sources expect the 43-year-old to be appointed in the coming days.

Following him could well be Coutinho, brought to Aston Villa by Gerrard first as a loanee and then permanently in the summer of 2022. The Brazilian struggled for form after making the permanent switch for £17 million and it seems likely that Villa would welcome the chance to move on from the 31 year old, who has three years left on his contract.

Gerrard's move to Al Ettifaq, who are based in the city of Dammam, is a sign that the spending made by Saudi Pro League clubs could well extend beyond the boundaries of the quartet -- Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad -- that were taken over by the country's sovereign wealth fund earlier this summer. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) has lured the likes of Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Marcelo Brozovic to Saudi Arabia, setting the stage for a league that could well be dominated by the emerging big four.

Al Ettifaq hope to challenge that with big names of their own, not necessarily limited to Coutinho. Sources have suggested that they would also explore a move for Sadio Mane should the Bayern Munich forward become available. Their roster already includes Germany international Amin Younes and Robin Quaison, capped 47 times by Sweden.

Gerrard will not be too far away from friendly faces in Dammam. Just 14 minutes down the road from his new home ground he will find another Liverpool icon in Robbie Fowler, who has taken charge of second tier side Al Qadsiah.