The former Liverpool midfielder joins the Midlands club and
former teammate Steven Gerrard, initially on loan until the end of the season
with the option of making the move permanent.
A statement read: “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.”
Coutinho left Liverpool for Barcelona in a £142m move in
January 2018, but has struggled to fulfil his potential at the Nou Camp and now
returns to the Premier League.
Villa boss Gerrard gave a glowing review of his former
teammate ahead of the announcement.
“He’s won two league titles at Barcelona, two Copa del
Reys,” he said on Thursday.
“If you go and have a look at his Wiki page you’ll see a
serial winner wherever he goes. He’s won 63 caps for Brazil, played for
Barcelona and was incredible at Liverpool.
“So I can understand why he’s linked to a lot of football
clubs. 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 of ‘The Magician’ if
you’re not a special footballer.”