World of Sport Reporter: @worldofsport
Philippe Coutinho is set to become a Barcelona player after Liverpool and Barcelona agreed a deal, which is believed to be around £146m. The Brazilian ace will sign a five-and-a-half-year deal, with a buyout clause set at 400m Euros.
Both clubs have announced the deal, and Coutinho went to Barcelona last night. He will attend their game against Levante today, and will have a medical on Monday.
A statement from Liverpool on the club’s website said: "Liverpool FC can confirm Philippe Coutinho will be leaving the club after a transfer agreement was reached with FC Barcelona, subject to medical and agreement of personal terms. The player now has permission to complete the usual formalities to conclude the transfer immediately."
And a Barcelona statement said: "FC Barcelona and Liverpool FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of Philippe Coutinho.The player will sign a contract for the remainder of the season and five more, and will have a buyout clause of 400 million euros. In the next hours we will inform you of the details of the player's arrival and presentation."
The rumours have persisted all season, after Barcelona’s failed attempt in the summer. And with Coutinho not being picked for any game so far in January, it was obvious a deal was being negotiated.
Coutinho joined Liverpool for £8.5m from Inter Milan in 2013 and has been one of the stars under Jurgen Klopp’s revival. However, a move to Barcelona was too much for him to turn down, and with a bid far exceeding what they turned down in the summer, Liverpool thought it best to cash in early, and probably invest that this transfer window.
Photo/Link Sources:
www.bbc.com
www.skysports.com
www.mirror.co.uk
www.telegraph.co.uk
www.liverpoolfc.com
www.fcbarcelona.com
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What do you buy the golfer who has everything? A short game!
Tell us something we don't know, haha
Yes, it's been on the cards.
Yeah, it's been obvious. Sorry to see him go. Liverpool will need to invest that money!
Who should they buy, though?
More sad to hear he might replace Iniesta
Somebody has to, he must be 34 at least now
Iniesta is the most likable player ever. He is quiet, plays his game and does his thing. It will be a sad day when he retires. He is the nice guy of football.
Reminds me of Paul Scholes
Iniesta is gonna need some rest, especially now towards the end of the season. Since Coutinho is cup-tied he can play in the league/cup games whereas Iniesta will be carrying Barca's midfield in the CL. Barca is gonna be scary this second half of the season.
True enough
oohhh i didnt know that!! @worldofsport
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Thanks a lot of information .. with Coutinho moving to Barcelona I think Real Madrid are very hard against the current barca
I Hate Real Madrid
My favorite game is football and cricket @worldofsport
Nice one
@newlifeabdo
haha
thanks
No worries
17 points clear of Madrid (although they have 2 games in hand at the moment), the highest scoring midfielder in the league in the form of Paulinho, solid defense compared to the last season and now the signing of Coutinho. Good time to be a Barca fan.
They're the top side by far this season
goal contribution of nyan will increase about 120% because Spanish league is not konpetitif like English league
I agree. It's too easy to score goals playing for Barca or Real. Messi has an almost 1:1 ratio
Liverpool signed Coutinho for a bargain actually. And they made a great sale. Even though I don't like modern sports (capitalism in sports to be exact), I always watch and follow soccer (what we call football here in Europe).
Yes, they have made a lot of money!
120 million euro? Ridiculous. Then again Barcelona basically still made a profit of 100 million trading Neymar for Coutinho which they can still use to upgrade their defense.
I m very happy to see this player in BAÇA