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Tom Mallows

BBC Sport journalist

Brazilian side Vasco da Gama have signed Philippe Coutinho from Aston Villa on a permanent deal.

The former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder has signed a one-year contract following a loan spell at his boyhood club last season.

The 33-year-old has not played for Villa since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, before he joined Qatari side Al-Duhail until the end of the season.

Coutinho still had one year left on the contract he signed when he joined Villa permanently from Barcelona for £17m in 2022, six months after initially signing on loan.

The attacking midfielder, who has also played for Inter Milan and Liverpool, scored six goals in 43 games for the Midlands club.

Coutinho had cost Barcelona a club-record £142m from Liverpool in 2018 but struggled in a disappointing four-year stay at the Nou Camp, which was hampered by a serious knee injury.

He has scored 21 goals in 68 appearances for Brazil, but has not played since 2022.

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