Barcelona chief thanks Liverpool as Coutinho completes move

Philippe Coutinho has officially completed his move from Liverpool to Barcelona for a fee understood to be £142million.

The Brazil international underwent a two-part medical early on Monday, which revealed he had a thigh injury which will delay his Barca debut by around three weeks.

Coutinho then headed to the Nou Camp where he joined Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu to sign a contract until the summer of 2023 before a formal presentation in front of supporters.

The 25-year-old’s contract includes a mammoth 400m Euros (£354.6m) buyout clause.

 

Coutinho was the subject of three failed bids from the Catalan giants in the summer, the largest of which was said to be £113m, and he handed in a transfer request in an attempt to try and force a move but was unsuccessful.

The attacking midfielder has already played for Liverpool in this season’s Champions League, and will therefore be ineligible to play for Barcelona in the same competition during the remainder of the 2017-18 campaign.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu told his club’s website: “We’re delighted to present Philippe Coutinho, a player who we’ve tried to get to come and play for us since last summer.

“We knew it was not going to be easy to get him here, we’ve been talking and working for months on this but one of the important aspects was he wanted to come here. And he helped make an effort, and he was patient, and that has been key in him coming here.

“And I’m very pleased to announce the signing of one the world’s star players and he will be here for many years.

“I also want to thank Liverpool, one of Europe’s biggest clubs, for allowing him to leave and come here.”

Making a brief comment before getting ready to head out on to the Nou Camp pitch for a photo shoot in front of the club’s supporters, Coutinho said: “I want to thank the president and everyone who has made the transfer possible.

“I’m very happy, as I’ve said it was my dream. I hope to live up to expectations on the pitch.”

 

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