-price Coutinho deal

Barcelona’s politicking is in keeping with a familiar trend in Spanish football, where elected board members seek to lobby for popular support when basking in the glow of a transfer coup.

Coutinho said he was fulfilling a dream by moving to the Nou Camp, where he signed a 5½-year deal, revealing how his former Liverpool team-mate Luis Suarez was constantly urging him to make the move.

Suarez left Anfield for Barcelona in 2014 for £65million. “Luis is a great player, I played with him at Liverpool and I am really happy to play with him again,” said Coutinho, who was handed the No14 shirt.

“We’ve kept in contact. He writes to me a lot, he’s a close friend and he’s been a big help. It’s an honour to play with him again.”

Liverpool offered numerous incentives in an effort to keep Coutinho before allowing him to go. “The Liverpool directors understood it was my dream, they would have liked me to stay, but my dream was to come here and they understood. They were men of their word,” said Coutinho.

It is expected he will be the longterm replacement for Andres Iniesta, who is nearing the end of his Barcelona career.

“Iniesta, for me, is a genius and it will be an honour to play with him and learn from him,” said Coutinho. “In terms of positions, what I’m most looking forward to is being here and playing for Barca.

“Everything else is a question for the manager. I will work really hard to be available for him. I am so happy, so are my family. It’s the biggest club in the world and some great Brazilian players have played here. I hope to contribute to even more success.”

One conspiracy theory was rubbished by Barcelona when introducing Coutinho. They revealed the thigh injury which kept him out of Liverpool’s last two fixtures will need treatment for a further three weeks.