Bayern Munich have confirmed the signing of Philippe Coutinho on a season-long loan from Barcelona in a deal worth £19million.
The Brazilian and former Liverpool midfielder who only moved to the Barcelona in January 2018 found himself surplus to requirements after him his unimpressed performances for the club.
He has now been signed by German champions, Bayern Munich on loan.
According to the deal, Bayern signed him for the rest of the campaign and will pay his £11m-a-year wage on top of an initial £8m fee. The club also have an option to sign Coutinho on a permanent deal at any stage of the loan for €120million (£110m).
A statement from Barcelona also confirmed that Bayern would pay just €8.5m (£7.75m) to bring him in for the season. They will also cover Coutinho’s wages for the campaign as part of the agreement between the two sides.
On signing for the club, Coutinho, who will wear the No 10 shirt at Bayern told the club’s website: ‘For me, this move means a new challenge in a new country with one of the best clubs in Europe.
‘I’m very much looking forward to that. Like FC Bayern, I have big ambitions and I’m convinced that I can achieve them together with my new teammates.’
Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge added: ‘We’ve been working on bringing in Philippe Coutinho for quite some time and we’re very happy that we’ve been able to complete this transfer.
‘Our thanks go to FC Barcelona for agreeing to the transfer. With his creativity and outstanding skills, Philippe is a player who will immediately strengthen our attack.’
Philippe made it very clear to us during the negotiations in Barcelona that he absolutely wanted to move to FC Bayern,’ he said.
‘He’s a world-class player with great ability, who we can deploy in a number of positions in our forward line, so the FC Bayern squad has gained even more quality.
‘He will help us achieve the ambitious targets we’ve set for this season.’
