Aston Villa have officially turned Philippe Coutinho’s loan deal into a permanent one, with the Midlands outfit paying Barcelona a reported transfer fee of around 20 million euros. Coutinho originally arrived at Villa Park in the winter window on a loan deal with an option to buy, and has now inked a contract that will keep him with the club till 2026.
The Brazilian scored on his Villa debut against Manchester United back in January and has made 16 league appearances for them so far, with four goals and three assists to his name.He has also taken a major wage cut- believed to be around 70%, to fit into Villa’s salary structure.
Regular first team football under current Villa boss Steven Gerrard, an ex-team mate of Coutinho’s at Liverpool, is believed to have been a major influencing factor in the switchfor the 29-year-old, especially with 2022 being a World Cup year.
The deal also means that his current club Barcelona have taken a major hit on the transfer- they had signed Coutinho for a whopping £142m fee back in 2018.
Villa are currently 12th in the table and will conclude their campaign with games against Burnley and Man City, both of which could have a big say in deciding who wins and who goes down this season.
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