Philippe Coutinho joins Aston Villa on loan until the end of 2021-22

Aston Villa have reached an agreement with Barcelona to sign Philippe Coutinho. The midfielder will be joining Villa until the end of the season on loan. The Premier League club will be paying the main part of his salary, and will also have the option to buy him. 

Coutinho returns to the Premier League after struggling at Barcelona since 2018. He remains one of the most expensive footballers in the world, having been signed for €135 million from Liverpool. He spent the 19/20 season at Bayern Munich, and has been on the transfer list ever since. 

Despite rumours linking him back to Liverpool, Aston Villa have gone in and signed the player from the Spanish giants. 

Philippe Coutinho returns to the Premier League with Aston Villa 

The Midlands club has announced their signing of the player as well, with the official statement reading as follows: 

“Aston Villa and FC Barcelona have agreed terms for Philippe Coutinho to spend the rest of this season on loan at Villa Park.

“The agreement, which is subject to the player completing a medical and receiving a work permit, also includes an option to buy and Philippe will travel to Birmingham in the next 48 hours.”

Philippe Coutinho will be playing under former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard. The pair were at Liverpool between 2013 and 2015, and have a bonding from beforehand. 

Barcelona, on the other hand, now have the room to register Ferran Torres officially and can also try signing new players in the January window.