European Giants, FC Barcelona have confirmed an agreement for Liverpool and Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho in a £142m deal, which makes the midfielder the most expensive player in football, but Neymar’s deal to PSG from Barcelona.
The Merseyside side are believed to have received an initial amount of £105m – which is the highest in the history of British Football – for the 25-year-old Brazil international, with the rest in realistic add-ons.
Philippe Coutinho will sign a five-and-half year deal with the La Liga outfit[FC Barcelona] and will have a buyout clause of 400m euros (£355m) according to a statement by Lionel Messi’s team.
The former Inter Milan midfielder joined Liverpool for £8.5m in January 2013 and has since become one of the best in the Premier League.
The final deal will be eclipsed only by the £200m Paris St-Germain paid Barcelona for Neymar last summer, and the £165.7m Kylian Mbappe will cost PSG at the end of his initial loan spell from Monaco.
Coutinho stayed behind on Merseyside while final negotiations were concluded as his Liverpool team-mates flew to Dubai for a mid-season break.
“In the next hours we will inform you of the details of the player’s arrival and presentation,” the Spanish club said in a post.
The Reds have turned down three bids from Barcelona during the summer and a transfer request from the player during the summer transfer window.
The last of Barcelona’s three bids was £118m – which included add-ons totalling in excess of £30m based on Coutinho winning the Ballon d’Or and other built-in clauses.
Coutinho only signed a new five-year deal, which did not include a release clause, with the Anfield club in January.
“It is no secret that Philippe has wanted this move to happen since July, when Barcelona first made their interest known,” said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
“Philippe was insistent with me, the owners and even his team-mates this was a move he was desperate to make happen.”
Klopp said the club had “hoped” they would be able to persuade the player to stay, adding: “The club did everything within our means to convince Philippe that remaining part of Liverpool was as attractive as moving to Spain.
“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 Coutinho.
“The relationship we have for him means with a heavy heart we wish him well.”
The player has a minor thigh injury and missed the club’s past two games, including Friday’s FA Cup third-round win against Everton.
He will not be eligible to play for Barcelona in their Champions League last-16 tie against Chelsea, having already played a key role in Liverpool’s qualification for the knockout phase.
Coutinho’s name briefly appeared on a Nike advert for Barcelona shirts last week before being removed.
