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Rediff.com  » Sports » The 5 biggest football transfers ever

The 5 biggest football transfers ever

By Laxmi Negi
January 10, 2018 11:26 IST
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Featuring Neymar, Coutinho, Dembele, Pogba, Bale...

Neymar
IMAGE: Philippe Coutinho, left, with Brazilian team mate Neymar. Photograph: Pedro Vilela/Getty Images

The biggest and most expensive deal of the January transfer window was confirmed when Philippe Coutinho was presented at Nou Camp a day after completing his high-profile move from Liverpool to Barcelona.

After a series of failed bids, the two clubs agreed to a 142 million pound ($192.54 million) fee.

The 25-year-old Brazilian put pen to paper for a five-and-a-half year deal, which is said to be the third biggest transfer in football history.

It is outranked only by Paris Saint-Germain's world record 222 million euro signing of Neymar from Barcelona last year, and PSG's capture of French striker Kylian Mbappe for a deal that will eventually be worth 180 million euros.

Rio-born Coutinho arrived at Liverpool from Inter Milan for a mere £8.5 million ($11.5 million) in January 2013 and scored 54 goals for the club in all competitions, although he won no silverware during his five-year stay at Anfield.

Barcelona had tried to sign Coutinho last summer and his departure is a blow to Liverpool as he had just returned to top form after an injury-hit start to the season, scoring seven goals in the last eight games of 2017 to put his side firmly in the Champions League places.

A look at the 5 biggest transfers in football history:

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Laxmi Negi / Rediff.com

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