In a move that came to fruition within days, Premier League side Aston Villa agreed to sign Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho on a half-season loan deal.

Barca announced on Friday that it reached an agreement with Aston Villa for a move that will at the least send Coutinho back to the Premier League for the remainder of the campaign. Aston Villa will have the opportunity to extend the Brazilian’s stay at the club via a €40 million buy option.

In speaking during his pre-match press conference ahead of Barca’s La Liga fixture against Granada, manager Xavi Hernandez touched on Coutinho’s return to the Premier League, where he noted that the Brazilian simply had the itch to play.

“It says a lot about Coutinho that he's gone out on loan because he wants to play, and reducing his salary,” Xavi said. “He's a great pro. “It wasn't working for him here and he's looked for a solution. He wants to succeed.”

As Xavi noted, Coutinho reportedly opted to reduce his salary in order to facilitate the move. He renounced 35 percent of his remaining wages for this season, while Aston Villa is set to cover the other 65 percent of his due salary.

Coutinho made his return to action in August after being sidelined for the second half of last season due to a knee injury. The season-ending injury later forced him to miss the 2021 Copa America tournament. The Brazilian talent was then a regular under now-former manager Ronald Koeman and Xavi as well; he appeared in 12 total La Liga matches, which included appearances against Real Madrid and Valencia.

This will be Coutinho’s second loan move in his run with Barcelona. He featured for Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich in the 2019-2020 season, where he scored key goals in all competitions and won three trophies.

If Coutinho can mirror his showings with Bayern Munich over to his upcoming run at Aston Villa, it may bode well for his chances of staying put with manager Steven Gerrard’s side.