Philippe Coutinho’s £142m move from Liverpool to Barcelona was officially confirmed on Monday as the playmaker was unveiled to fans at the Nou Camp.
The Brazilian, 25, signed a five-and-a-half-year contract alongside president Josep Maria Bartomeu, before performing keepy-uppies in front of supporters.
A deal for Coutinho to join Barcelona was agreed on Saturday.
“I want to thank the president and everyone who has made it possible,” said Coutinho.
“I am very happy, it’s a dream come true and I hope to be up to the job on the field.”
Coutinho is reported to have committed £11.5m of his own money to help facilitate the deal.
“Philippe, welcome. We know that you have made a personal and economic effort,” said Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre.
Bartomeu said the club had been pursuing Coutinho since last summer and that the Brazilian is “one of the world’s stars”.
He added: “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.
“He helped make an effort, and he was patient, and that was been key in him coming here.
“I also want to thank Liverpool, one of Europe’s biggest clubs, for allowing him to leave and come here.”
‘Important reduction in cost of transfer’
Liverpool rejected three Barcelona bids and a transfer request from the player during the summer transfer window.
The last of those bids was £118m – which included add-ons totalling in excess of £30m based on Coutinho winning the Ballon d’Or and other built-in clauses.
Barcelona said at the time they would not be drawn into a bidding war.
Asked about their willingness to now complete a deal worth £142m, vice-president Jordi Mestre said: “There was an important reduction in the cost of this transfer. We can’t go into the number.”
The Reds are expected to receive £105m up front for the player, who has a buyout clause of 400m euros (£355m) in his Nou Camp contract.
Coutinho passed his medical, but it did show he has a right thigh injury – which kept him out of Liverpool’s 2-1 win at Burnley on New Year’s Day.
Barcelona said the midfielder is likely to be out for about three weeks, meaning the earliest he could realistically make his debut is the Catalan derby against Espanyol on 4 February.
[BBC]
