Philippe Coutinho press conference LIVE: Barcelona complete £142m deal as ex-Liverpool star signs contract

Follow the latest from Coutinho's first press conference as a Barcelona player

Philippe Coutinho will hold his first press conference since joining Barcelona (Reuters)

Philippe Coutinho was unveiled by Barcelona on Monday morning after the Spanish side completed an astounding £142m transfer for the Brazil international from Liverpool.

The deal, which makes Coutinho the second-most expensive player in history behind £200m Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar, was completed late last week, with the attacking midfielder travelling to Barcelona over the weekend to complete the deal.

The 25-year-old underwent a medical this morning, and will sign his new five-and-a-half-year contract that will be worth around £250,000-a-week, with a buy-out clause of €400m [£355m].

Follow the latest from his unveiling and first press conference live below...

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Key Points

• Philippe Coutinho seals £142m move to Barcelona
• Brazilian leaves Liverpool after more than four years at Anfield
• Coutinho holds first press conference as a Barca player

[8 January 2018 10:42 · Jack de Menezes]

Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the unveiling of Philippe Coutinho as a Barcelona player, having completed his £142m transfer from Liverpool.

With Coutinho set to be unveiled at 11:30am and hold his first press conference as a Barcelona player from 1:30pm, we'll bring you everything that the Brazilian has to say as he becomes the latest player to bid farewell to the Premier League and move to La Liga.

[8 January 2018 11:10 · Jack de Menezes]

With under 25 minutes to go until Barcelona unveil their latest signing, let's take a look at the big talking points surrounding the deal.

While the move is huge news for a Barcelona side already nine points clear at the top of La Liga, it's bad news for Liverpool. Having seen Luis Suarez leave Anfield for the Camp Nou, Coutinho follows in the Uruguayan's footsteps to head to Spain. Luckily, Simon Hughes has the inside track on why he's decided to leave now, and what that means for both Barcelona and Liverpool, as well as Jürgen Klopp.

[8 January 2018 11:20 · Jack de Menezes]

After announcing the deal on Saturday evening, Liverpool also issued a lengthy statement from Klopp to explain the reasons why the club decided to cash in on a player that they signed for just £8m.

Within the statement were a few key points that revealed exactly why Liverpool had no option than to sell Coutinho to Barcelona this month.

[8 January 2018 11:25 · Jack de Menezes]

Liverpool have - at least - spared a thought for their fans, and confirmed that any one who invested in a Coutinho shirt this season will receive a £50 voucher to compensate them following his exit.

[8 January 2018 11:29 · Jack de Menezes]

It's fair to say that Barcelona are a little bit excited about today's big unveiling:

[8 January 2018 11:33 · Jack de Menezes]

BREAKING: After undergoing his medical, Coutinho has been ruled out of action for three weeks with a thigh injury, so it looks like he won't be making his debut until February at the earliest.

A short club statement reads: "Coutinho has an injury to his right thigh and he is expected to be out for around three weeks."

[8 January 2018 11:36 · Jack de Menezes]

The injury had kept him sidelined at Liverpool throughout the start of 2017, but Jürgen Klopp had stressed that the injury was not as bad as it has since transpired.

Nevertheless, the unveiling is underway and Coutinho is just arriving at the Nou Camp as we speak.

[8 January 2018 11:40 · Jack de Menezes]

It appears it's going to take some time for Coutinho to make his way up for his unveiling, but fear not, we'll keep you updated on all the latest developments including what the player himself has to say.

[8 January 2018 11:41 · Jack de Menezes]

In the meantime, here's Coutinho undergoing his medical and the full statement from Barcelona regarding his thigh injury:

[8 January 2018 11:43 · Jack de Menezes]

Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane has given his thoughts on Coutinho's drawn-out move to Barcelona, and was keen to note the professionalism of the midfielder with how he handled himself even though he desired to leave Liverpool.

Here's what Kane had to say: