The Aston Villa Football Club has agreed to loan Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona until the end of the season. The deal is subject to the player completing a medical and obtaining a work permit, and also includes an option to buy. Coutinho is scheduled to travel to Birmingham in the next 48 hours.
Five Premier League clubs were in talks with Coutinho, with Villa and another English club showing the most interest, sources told ESPN. However, the presence of Coutinho’s former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard helped tip the balance in Villa’s favor.
In a statement, the Premier League club said: “Aston Villa and FC Barcelona have reached an agreement for Philippe Coutinho to spend the rest of the season on loan at Villa Park.
“The deal is subject to the player completing a medical and obtaining a work permit, and also includes an option to buy. Coutinho is scheduled to travel to Birmingham in the next 48 hours.”
Gerrard, who left Rangers at the end of last year to replace Dean Smith as manager at Villa Park, played a key role in convincing the Brazilian to move to the Midlands.
Coutinho, 29, was reluctant to leave Barcelona, but his desire to play regular football in a World Cup year led to a change of heart. The club paid a club-record fee of €160 million to sign him from Liverpool in 2018.
His first season at the Camp Nou, alongside Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi, ended with a domestic double, but he lost his way in his second spell.
He was loaned to German giants Bayern Munich in 2019-20, scoring two goals in the 8-2 Champions League win over Barcelona, before returning to Spain for the following season.
Ronald Koeman said he would help Coutinho get back to his best, but injury problems kept the player out of action for long periods.
Since new manager Xavi Hernandez was appointed in November, he has missed the second half of last season through injury and made just one appearance in the defeat by Real Betis.
When asked about Coutinho’s departure in a press conference on Friday, Xavi said: “Coutinho was loaned out because he wanted to play and his salary was reduced, which says a lot. He is a great professional.
“It didn’t work out for him, he was looking for solutions. He wanted to succeed. Let’s see what happens with Sam (Umtiti). I have no complaints against anyone. All the players are professionals. . .. I am happy with the players who are playing and with the ones who are not.”
Coutinho, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, is expected to be granted permission to fly to England in the next few days and could be involved in Villa’s Premier League game against Manchester United on January 15.thumb_upthumb_downsharePesquisar no Google