FC Barcelona Unveils £145m Record Signing Philippe Coutinho [Photos]

FC Barcelona Unveils £145m Record Signing Philippe Coutinho [Photos]

Spanish club, FC Barcelona have unveiled their latest signing, Philippe Coutinho, after completing a record deal of £145m, making the Brazilian the second-most expensive player in the world after Neymar left for PSG at £198m

The 25-year-old playmaker who was unveiled by the club president Josep Maria Bartomeu at the Nou Camp this afternoon, was signed from English club Liverpool in a five-year deal.

Speaking at the official unveiling of Coutinho, Bartomeu said: ‘All Barcelona fans around the world are pleased to meet the new Barcelona player Philippe Coutinho.

‘We wanted him last summer, we have been working for weeks and months on this deal but one of the most important aspects was that he wanted to come he.

‘He was patient and that was a determining factor in bringing him here. I am delighted to announce the signing of one of the stars of world football.

‘Everyone knows him as a player, we know about his professional career but what I can say is that it wasn’t easy to bring him here. But he wanted to be here and he is part of this new project with Ernesto Valverde and he’ll be getting to know us as a club and a team. Coutinho has a lot of family here with him today, which everybody wanted.

‘Thank you for accepting the deal. We have spoken a lot over the last few days. You are a player we have wanted to come here for a long time and we thank you for your determination and your motivation to come here. We would also like to thank Liverpool to allow him to come here.’

The attacking midfielder who was nicknamed ‘Little Magician’ by fans and teammates of his former club Liverpool, is known for his combination of vision, passing, dribbling and long-range strikes.

Despite the unveiling, the Brazilian star will be out for three weeks after his medical reveals thigh injury.

He could miss the upcoming Copa del Rey fixture with Celta Vigo and league matches against Real Sociedad, Real Betis and Alaves. It means Coutinho could make his debut on February 4, in the Catalan derby against Espanyol, the club he played at on loan from Espanyol in 2012.

See more photos below.