Philippe Coutinho completes £145m transfer to Barcelona from Liverpool in Premier League record deal

BARCELONA have finally confirmed the signing of Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho for a mega £145million.

The La Liga giants announced on Saturday that they have finally ended the long-running transfer saga for the Brazilian.

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SunSport reported earlier how Anfield bosses had finally conceded defeat in their attempt to keep the 25-year-old on Merseyside and agreed a fee with Barca.

Now the move is set to be finalised subject to a medical and personal terms and Coutinho will have a 400million Euro (£355m) buyout clause.

Coutinho will put pen to paper on a five-and-a-half-year deal and is expected to be unveiled this week.

It is understood that the Catalans will pay £109m upfront, with a further £36m to follow depending on appearances and team success.

His arrival brings to a close one of the biggest transfer chases of the past year after Barcelona's pursuit of the South American last summer.

Coutinho joined Liverpool for £8million five years ago, so the deal represents a massive profit for the Reds in the largest fee ever received by a Premier League club.

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Liverpool rejected three offers from them for Coutinho and released a statement confirming that they would not sell him during the summer transfer window.

The Reds remained hopeful of persuading their talisman to stay, and he has knuckled down and continued his fine form despite not being allowed to move.

LIFE GOES ON Klopp says emotional farewell but urges fans to move on quickly from Coutinho's departure

The attacker has bagged 13 goals for club and country so far this campaign.

Liverpool bosses were still hopeful of being able to persuade Coutinho to commit his long-term future to Merseyside last week.

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But they discovered there was no chance of keeping him when the player made it clear no amount of money would stop him pushing for his dream move to the Nou Camp.

Barca used Coutinho's agent Kia Joorabchian as a go-between in talks last week in order to establish the exact terms.

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And once it became clear Liverpool were open to the idea of a sale, Barca knew they would get their man.

When Jurgen Klopp's squad flew up for a short break to Dubai after their 2-1 FA Cup win over Everton, Coutinho was not part of the group who boarded the plane.

Keep up to date with all the latest news, gossip, rumours and done deals in SunSport’s LIVE transfer blog

The deal is the biggest ever involving a British club, and will make him the second most expensive footballer in the world behind compatriot Neymar.

French teenager Kylian Mbappe's move to Paris Saint-Germain is only a loan at present, with his £166m option not being due until this summer.

Following the confirmation of the deal, Klopp issued and emotional farewell to Coutinho but urged supporters to move on quickly from his departure.

He said: "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.

"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.

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"Despite that, we managed,  to keep the player here beyond the summer window, hoping that we would be able to persuade him to stay and be part of what we are looking to do.

"I can tell the Liverpool supporters that we, as a club, have done everything within our means to convince Philippe that remaining part of LFC was as attractive as moving to Spain, but he is 100 per cent certain his future – and that of his family – belongs at Barcelona. It is his dream and I am now convinced there is nothing left at our disposal to change his mind."

Click here to read Klopp's message to Liverpool supporters in full.