Aston Villa on the verge of signing Philippe Coutinho, loan deal agreed until end of season

Aston Villa are set to complete the signing of Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona on a loan deal today, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Brazilian playmaker will join the Villans on loan until the end of the current season.

They will also pay the majority of the player’s salary, according to the Italian journalist.

It has been reported that direct contact was made earlier today, with the deal set to be announced later in the evening.

Coutinho trying to revitalise his fading career

Coutinho joined Barcelona from Liverpool in January 2018 for £146 million.

However, he could not replicate his Reds form at Camp Nou, scoring only 25 goals in 106 appearances for the Catalans.

He was loaned out for an entire season (2019/20) to Bayern Munich, where he won the Champions League.

The 29-year-old has dropped down the pecking order at Barcelona and has been looking for a way out.

Moving to Villa could revitalise his career in top-flight football and help him regain his place in the national team.

Coutinho will be eager to regain his spot in the Selecao team for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and he will need to secure regular game time to achieve that.

Barcelona can get a major player off their books, register Torres in January

One of the bigger problems at Barcelona this season has been their inability to balance their books.

They let go of Lionel Messi in the summer and have failed to register new signing Ferran Torres owing to the new La Liga salary rules.

Coutinho is one of the biggest earners at Camp Nou, and his departure may create enough space in the salary cap for the Catalans to register Torres in January.

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