Aston Villa have announced the arrival of Philippe Coutinho on loan for the remainder of the season from Barcelona.
The 29-year-old midfielder returns to the Premier League having left Liverpool in 2018 and is Villa head coach Steven Gerrard’s first January signing.
Coutinho spent five years at Liverpool, where he played alongside Gerrard, after joining from Inter Milan. He scored 41 goals in 152 top-flight appearances for the Reds.
A Brazil international, Coutinho has been capped 63 times and represented his country at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
He enjoyed a season-long loan at Bayern Munich in 2019/20, helping them lift the UEFA Champions League after beating Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
Coutinho will hope to make his league debut for Villa when they host Manchester United on Saturday 15 January.