Philippe Coutinho
ASTON VILLA has agreed a deal to sign former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season, the Premier League club announced on Friday.
Sources told ESPN that five Premier League sides held talks with Coutinho’s camp, with Villa and one other English club showing the most serious interest.
However, the presence of Steven Gerrard, Coutinho’s former teammate at Liverpool, helped swing the balance in Villa’s favour.
The Premier League club said in a statement: “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.”
Gerrard, who left Rangers to replace Dean Smith as the coach at Villa Park at the end of last year, played a key role in convincing the Brazilian to make the move to the Midlands.
Coutinho, 29, has previously been reluctant to leave Barca, but a desire to play regular football in a World Cup year has led to a change of mind.