The Brazilian signed a five-year contract in a ceremony sitting alongside Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu, making him the third-most expensive player in history.
“It’s an honour for me, a great honour, but also a dream to be here,” Coutinho said after posing on the Camp Nou pitch in a Barcelona shirt.
“I have my goals; to get here, to be happy, win titles and have fun — I only think about that.”
Minutes before the midfielder put pen to paper after a whirlwind few days, the club said a thigh injury would delay his debut until the end of January.
The runaway La Liga leaders also claimed that Liverpool had cut their original asking price from €200million, after a long-running transfer saga dating back to the summer window.
“Due to a contractual issue and due to Liverpool’s desire, we cannot provide the exact figures, but there has been a very significant reduction (in price),” said Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre.
Barca’s swoop for Coutinho is outranked only by Paris Saint-Germain‘s stunning world record €222million signing of Neymar from Barcelona last year, and the Paris club’s capture of French striker Kylian Mbappe in a deal which will be worth €180million when the teenager completes his initial loan deal later this year.
Coutinho’s arrival will help Barcelona move on from the humiliation of losing Neymar, and his presence alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez will help take the pressure off another of the club’s stars, 33-year-old midfielder Andres Iniesta.
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