Philippe Coutinho joins Barca from Reds in record deal
BARCELONA: Philippe Coutinho finally got his wish when Barcelona agreed with Liverpool the highest sum paid to an English club for acquiring the Brazilian star for 160 million euros. It is the third richest deal ever.
“Barcelona and Liverpool have reached an agreement for the transfer of Philippe Coutinho. The player will sign a contract for the rest of the season and five more years with a release clause of 400 million euros,” said a Barcelona statement.
“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,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said
BLAISE MATUIDI CLAIMS RACIST ABUSE
TURIN: Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi says he was the victim of racist abuse during his side’s 1-0 victory over Cagliari on Saturday. The France international revealed in a post on his official Facebook page. “I experienced racism during the match,” he wrote. “Weak people try to intimidate with hate. I am not a hater and can only be sorry for those who set bad examples.”
DYBALA NOT FOR SALE: JUVE CEO MAROTTA
TURIN: Juventus chief executive Giuseppe Marotta said the Italian champions have no plans to part with star Paulo Dybala, despite continued transfer speculation.
Manchester United have been linked with a move for Dybala, who dropped out of Juve’s starting XI last month which sparked doubts over his future in Turin.
“The January transfer window is about repairing your squad and fortunately we are covered in all departments,” he told Mediaset Premium. “We haven’t put a price-tag on Paulo, so it’s difficult to make an assessment. We have no intention of putting him on the market.”
OLYMPIACOS CONFIRM MIRALLAS MOVE
PIRAEUS: Greek giants Olympiacos have confirmed they agreed a deal to re-sign Everton attacker Kevin Mirallas.
The 30-year-old Belgian joined the Toffees from Olympiacos in 2012 and played 186 games for the club.Yet, he has only made five appearances for Everton in the Premier League this season – three of them as a substitute.
Mirallas has not once been in the squad since Sam Allardyce was appointed manager.
The move was confirmed via the club’s Twitter account.