Barcelona complete Philippe Coutinho signing

Barcelona have announced that they have completed the signing of Philippe Coutinho on a five-and-a-half-year deal from Liverpool.

The La Liga leaders missed out on the Brazilian during the summer transfer window despite making three big-money bids, but after much speculation they have finally secured his signature in a deal thought to be worth £142m.

Liverpool confirmed that they had reached an agreement with Barcelona over the sale of the 25-year-old, and just minutes later the Spanish outfit revealed details of the player's contract at Camp Nou.

Coutinho has put pen to paper on a deal which will keep him at the club until 2023, with a buyout clause of €400m (£354.6m) being inserted into the contract.

Coutinho scored 54 goals in 201 appearances during his five-year stay at Liverpool, having joined the club from Inter Milan for just £8.5m in 2013.

The Brazil international becomes the second most expensive player of all time behind compatriot Neymar, although that will change once Kylian Mbappe's move to Paris Saint-Germain goes through at the end of the season.