After a long long chase, Barcelona secures a good signing from the departure of Neymar to PSG. Barcelona have announced the signing of Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool for £142m, bringing to an end the Brazilian midfielder’s long-running transfer saga.
Coutinho has agreed to a five and a half year contract at the Camp Nou with a buyout clause at €400m (£355m) which make him the second highest in the transfer list behind Neymar transfer. Liverpool are expected to receive around £106m up front for the 25-year-old with the rest in potential add-ons, dependent on the success of both Barcelona and Coutinho over the course of his contract.
Jurgen Klopp said that he had tried to persuade Coutinho to stay but found that the player was “desperate” to move to the Camp Nou. “It is with great reluctance that we – as a team and club – prepare to say farewell to a good friend, a wonderful person and a fantastic player in Philippe Coutinho,” Klopp said on Liverpool’s website.
Also Barcelona fans will be eager to know when their new signing will be able to pull on the famous jersey and play alongside Lionel Messi. While today’s match match against Levante is expected to be the welcome parade for Coutinho, he could make his debut as early as next week.