Merseyside club Liverpool have agreed to a deal with FC Barcelona for the sale of the Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho for a sum of €160 million (£142m). This will make him as the highest paid footballer who has travelled from England off-shore.
Barcelona sees him as the natural heir to fellow Brazilian Neymar, who left for PSG last summer. Their bid to bring him to Catalonia has been unsuccessful so far but on this occasion the transfer, the Klopp side has agreed on an amount for the transfer.
Coutinho is set to fly out to Barcelona to replace the Brazilian Neymar, whose departure has had the club hanging on a marquee player. The move will include a significant immediate down-payment following by achievable, guaranteed add-ons.
Coutinho’s earlier attempt at a move:
Earlier in the day, the Brazilian was withdrawn from the squad that is heading to Dubai after their encounter against Everton, out of which he was ruled out. The deal finally came to a close after running in the transfer windows for a long time now.
Liverpool earlier in the year refused to sell then with owners Fenway Sports Group taking the unusual step of releasing a statement declaring that the player would not be sold in that transfer window. However, the club’s stance has softened this window following persuasion from the midfielder himself.
Biggest ever transfer involving a British club:
Coutinho’s representative Kia Joorabchian has had a tough time in the recent year, with the increasing speculation of the Brazilian midfielder’s career. Relation between the two clubs has been amicable and the negotiation has come through, with the deal being a good one for both the clubs.
The deal for the Brazilian midfielder is the biggest ever involving a British club and the biggest ever signing made by Spanish club. It is the third-highest ever after the PSG deals for Neymar – close to £200m after his release clause was activated – and Kylian Mbappe.
