Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho close to Aston Villa loan move

Philippe Coutinho has agreed to leave Barcelona in search of regular football ahead of the World Cup in Qatar this year.

The club and the player have been working on a transfer for weeks with the aim of creating room on the wage bill for Barça to register new signing Ferran Torres.

And it seems that Coutinho's exit is closer than ever. It's not imminent yet, but Barça admit things are moving in the right direction.

There have been talks with various Premier League clubs, among them Arsenal, but the most probable destination for the Brazilian right now is Aston Villa.

The Birmingham-based club are negotiating with Barça and are close to an agreement over a loan with an option to buy in the summer.

The former Liverpool player delivered when he last played in the Premier League, spending five years at Anfield between 2013 and 2018 before signing for Barça in a club-record 160 million euros fee.

He now believes England is the ideal setting to rediscover his form and ensure he goes to the World Cup with Brazil this year.

Talks continue over how much of the player's wages Villa will play. Barça know that the more they pay, the easier it will be to register Torres.