Philippe Coutinho finally got his wish on Saturday when Barcelona agreed to sign the Brazilian star from Liverpool for £142 million ($192 million) in the third richest deal of all time.
The swoop for the 25-year-old attacking midfielder – which contains a €400 million release clause – will be the third biggest deal in football.
Rio-born Coutinho arrived at Anfield from Inter Milan for £8.5 million in January 2013 and scored 54 goals for the club in all competitions, although he won no silverware during his five-year stay.
Barcelona had tried to sign him in the summer, but his departure is a blow to Liverpool as the playmaker has just returned to top form after an injury-hit start to the season.
He scored six goals in the last seven games of 2017 to put his side firmly in the Champions League places.
Capturing Coutinho allows Barcelona to move on from the bitter experience of losing his Brazil teammate Neymar last summer.
Paris Saint-Germain had shelled out a world record €222 million to lure the Brazilian star from Barcelona before the French champions then agreed to pay Monaco €120 million for Kylian Mbappe in a deal which will be officially activated once the striker’s loan period is completed.
Barcelona were so excited with Coutinho’s signing that they released three videos about the transfer:
As usual, social media was buzzing after the announcement. Experts said that the transfer was not surprising, adding that the deal was a good one for both parties.
It wasn’t long before the jokes and memes started pouring in.
Some Liverpool fans chose to see the bright side...
...while Barcelona fans were already dreaming about their new line-up.
The neutrals, however, had a field day.
Manchester United fans obviously had a lot to say...
With inputs from AFP
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