Aston Villa has announced on Friday that they have signed Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season. The English club stated in a release: "Aston Villa and Barcelona have reached an agreement for Philippe Coutinho to spend the remainder of the current season at Villa Park on loan."
It continued: "The contract, which will become official after the player undergoes a medical examination and obtains a work permit, includes an option to purchase the player." Coutinho is set to travel to Birmingham within the next 48 hours.
Coutinho (29 years old) joined Barcelona from Liverpool in 2018 but struggled to find his form at Camp Nou, spending the 2019-2020 season on loan at Bayern Munich, where he won the UEFA Champions League. Notably, current Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard played alongside Coutinho at Liverpool from 2013 to 2015 before moving to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
