8th January,2022.
Aston Villa have an option to buy Philippe Coutinho at the end of the season; Coutinho was keen to leave Barcelona and return to the Premier League in search of regular football; the Brazilian played with current Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard at Liverpool.
Philippe Coutinho has joined Aston Villa on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season.
The agreement, which is subject to the player completing a medical and receiving a work permit, also includes an option to buy and Coutinho will travel to Birmingham in the next 48 hours.
Villa are paying less than 50 per cent of Coutinho's weekly wage, plus bonuses, Sky Sports News has been told, and he even agreed to a pay cut, with other clubs offering deals that would have seen him earn 100 per cent of his Barca wage.
Coutinho wanted to return to England and play regular football and sees Villa as an ambitious club that are building something special for the future.
The Brazil midfielder knows manager Steven Gerrard well having spent two-and-a-half years with him at Liverpool, and is said to already know a lot about Villa and their squad.
Villa have an option to buy Coutinho for £33m in the summer.
Gerrard: Coutinho a serial winner
Speaking on Thursday ahead of signing Coutinho, manager Steven Gerrard said:
"Sixty-three caps for Brazil, a serial winner, was incredible at Liverpool, so I can understand why he's linked to a lot of football clubs," said Gerrard.
"I can understand why a lot of supporters up and down the country are speaking about him. I don't think you get a nickname as a magician if you're not a special footballer, so he's someone I have an incredible amount of respect for.
"But I don't want to add to any speculation, because he belongs to Barcelona."
Source: Skysports
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