Brazilian attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho managed to turn his loan stint with Aston Villa into a permanent transfer. The Premier League side confirmed the news on Thursday.
Coutinho joined Villa on a loan deal in January from La Liga giants Barcelona. He made an immediate impact, scoring four goals and assisting for three more in 16 appearances. This prompted the English club to try and make a deal permanent before some other suitor swoops in.
The two clubs initially agreed on a fee of around €40 million for a permanent transfer. Still, Villa apparently managed to get a discount thanks to the fact that Barca wanted Coutinho’s wages off their books. Reportedly, the transfer is now worth only €20 million, although the Catalan club is set to get 50 percent of any future transfer Coutinho might make.
The move allows Barcelona and Philippe Coutinho to make a fresh start and perhaps forget their troubling past together. Barca signed Coutinho from Liverpool in 2018 for a fee of €160 million, which was the club’s record. The Brazilian was expected to be the next big star at Camp Nou, but things didn’t quite work out that way. Due to a combination of injuries, inconsistency, and loans, Coutinho would go on to play only 106 games with Barca, scoring 25 goals and dishing 14 assists.
Coutinho will now hope that he can resurrect his career in Premier League and possibly be an impactful player once again. On the other hand, Barca gets a big financial relief and can use the savings to fund other moves.
