Catalan giants, Barcelona on Saturday announced on its official website, that they had agreed to sign Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool in a deal reported to be worth up to €160 million ($192 million).
The statement released by the club read thus, “Barcelona and Liverpool have reached an agreement for the transfer of the Brazilian 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.”
The deal for the 25-year-old attacking midfielder will be the third richest in history after the €222 million that Paris Saint-Germain paid Barcelona for Brazilian star Neymar last year and the €120 million that Kylian Mbappe will cost PSG from Monaco once the French player’s loan period with the Ligue 1 champions is completed.
“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 told the club’s official website.
“It is no secret that Philippe has wanted this move to happen since July, when Barcelona first made their interest known.
“Philippe was insistent with me, the owners and even his teammates; this was a move he was desperate to make happen.”
Source: The Punch
