Premier League side Aston Villa have confirmed the loan signing of midfielder Philippe Coutinho from FC Barcelona.
The deal was confirmed over the weekend but the player had to wait until Tuesday for his unveiling with the Brazilian being eligible to feature for his new side in their weekend league fixture against Manchester United.
He’s here and he’s perfect…
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 11, 2022
The deal to bring him to Villa Park also includes an option to make the deal permanent for £33m in the summer according to reports from Sky Sports.
It is the second return for the Brazilian in the Premier League having previously featured for Liverpool where he was a teammate of current Villa boss Steven Gerrard.
Coutinho was signed by Barcelona from Liverpool for a club-record £146m in January 2018, but he struggled to hold down a first-team place at the Nou Camp and spent the 2019/20 season on loan at Bayern Munich.
“For me, it’s a pleasure to be here.” 😁
Philippe Coutinho’s first interview as an Aston Villa player! 🗣️
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 11, 2022
In his time at Barca, the player had a torrid time and only featured in 70 games in LaLiga where he scored 17 goals in the process.