May 12, (THEWILL) – After a successful loan spell, Aston Villa have agreed to pay Barcelona €20 million (£17.2 million), to sign Philippe Coutinho in a deal that has been confirmed by the Catalan side.
Coutinho has been at Villa since January, and the chance to work with Steven Gerrard was a major factor in his decision to accept to make the move permanent this summer.
Payment terms were the final point of contention in the talks between Barcelona and Villa, who have now finalised the agreement.
Coutinho was born in Rio de Janeiro on June 12, 1992, and joined FC Barcelona on January 8, 2018 for £106 million from Liverpool, where he played alongside Gerrard. He made his debut against Espanyol in the Copa del Rey quarter final on January 25, the same year, and went on to appear in more games, providing numerous assists and scoring goals.
Desiring more play time than what was available for him with the Spanish side, Coutinho accepted a move to the Bundesliga and he spent the 2019/2020 season on loan at Bayern Munich, where he helped the Bavarian giants humiliate Barca in a Champions League contest. But, he returned to Camp Nou after.
During the 2021/2022 season, he made his 100th appearance for the squad at Rayo Vallecano, just before going on loan to Aston Villa in January. He appeared 106 times for the club, scoring 26 goals with an overall record of 65 victories, 24 draws, and only 15 losses.
So far this season, Coutinho has made 16 appearances for Villa, scoring four goals and assisting three times, all of which came in his first eight games.
After using him as a late substitute at Burnley this month, Gerrard had said: “We want Phil Coutinho here for sure.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
