Philippe Coutinho on Friday has officially left Barcelona to join Aston Villa on loan until the end of the season. The Brazilian midfielder returns to play in the English Premier League for the second time in his career.
Coutinho moved to Barcelona from Liverpool in 2018 for a record fee of up to 146 million pounds. However, the 29-year-old star played unsuccessfully at the Nou Camp and wanted to find more playing opportunities in other teams.
“Aston Villa and FC Barcelona have agreed terms for Philippe Coutinho to play with the rest of the money on loan at Villa Park.” Villa said in a statement.
“The deal includes an option to buy at the end of the season. Coutinho will complete medical procedures. and receive a work permit before arriving in Birmingham in the next 48 hours,” Villa added.
Coutinho has the opportunity to work with coach Steven Gerrard, who was his teammate in Liverpool.
The pair previously played together at Liverpool between 2013 and 2015. Now, they are teaming up as part of Gerrard’s Villa revolution.
Early, Gerrard spoke out about the information that many Premier League English clubs are pursuing Coutinho, including Aston Villa.
“Coutinho is sought after by many teams because he is a world-class player. Playing with him is a great experience because Coutinho is on a different level. His creativity on the pitch is incredible.” Gerrard said.
Coutinho will help Villa boost attack power significantly. Villa are also looking to add quality in defence in the January window.
Meanwhile, with the reduction of the wage burden from Coutinho, Barcelona will be able to sign the mega contract of Ferran Torres.
Coutinho, who has scored 26 goals in 106 mathces for the Catalans, has 18 months to run on his Nou Camp contract, which expires at the end of the 2022-23 season.
