Joseph Wilson Steve Douglas
Liverpool deal makes Brazilian one of the most expensive players in football history, write and
Philippe Coutinho is joining Barcelona after Liverpool agreed to sell the Brazilian in a deal that makes him one of the most expensive players in football history.
Barcelona did not reveal the cost of the deal for the 25-yearold playmaker but a person familiar with the details said the transfer is worth 160 million ($268.5m).
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly about the deal, which would be a club record for Barcelona.
Coutinho’s transfer cost is surpassed only by Paris SaintGermain’s acquisition of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe last northern summer.
Barcelona have reinvested the 222m windfall they got from PSG after Neymar’s world-record transfer to the French club in August.
Barcelona said Coutinho will sign a contract for the rest of the ongoing season and five more seasons. He still needs to finalise personal terms and pass a medical examination.
Liverpool rejected three bids from Barcelona for Coutinho in August and hoped to convince him to stay beyond this season. He even captained the side recently.
The Spanish league leaders broke their own transfer record to sign France forward Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund in August for a fee of 105m that could rise to 147m.
Barcelona hoped to sign Coutinho at the same time but it has taken until the January transfer window to convince Liverpool to sell one of their most creative players.
Barcelona said in September that they rejected a lastminute offer by Liverpool to sell Coutinho for 200m because it would have been an “irresponsible” financial risk for the club. Five months on, Barcelona have managed to negotiate a cheaper deal.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said the club tried to keep their prized player, but defend their Copa del Rey crown.
Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Coutinho made the leap from Brazilian club Vasco de Gama to Inter Milan in 2010.
He got a taste of the Spanish league in a six-month loan deal at Espanyol in 2012 before he moved to Liverpool in January 2013, where he became one of the Premier League’s most dynamic playmakers.
He scored 41 goals in 152 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, including seven in 14 matches this season.
Signed by Inter Milan at age 16 from Vasco da Gama, Coutinho made his debut for the Italian side two years later with some pundits comparing him to Neymar.
Instead of defending its Champions League title with a
He is 100 per cent certain his future — and that of his family — belongs at Barcelona. Juergen Klopp, Liverpool coach
new star, Inter were frustrated, with the Brazilian scoring only once the whole season.
Coutinho decided to take advice from his friend, Neymar, and move to Spain instead of returning to Brazil. At Espanyol, he scored five goals in 16 games in his first season and caught the attention of Liverpool.
Coutinho’s transfer is technically the second most expensive of all time as Mbappe has only moved on loan from Monaco to PSG. But there is an option to buy the forward on a permanent deal for 180m at the end of the season in a deal structured to ease the financial burden on the French club this year.
Barcelona were to play Levante in La Liga overnight, and then host Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey on Friday. The club have not said when they expect Coutinho to get his first minutes playing alongside Lionel Messi.