MUNICH/MADRID:  Bayern Munich have signed Brazilian midfielder for Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona on loan for the season.

The Spanish champions said that Bayern will pay €8.5m and the Brazil playmaker’s wages, and that the agreement also includes an option to buy for the Bundesliga champions fixed at €120m.

A statement added: “FC Barcelona would like to publicly thank Philippe Coutinho for his commitment and dedication (and) wishes him all the best in this new stage of his career.”

The move raises obvious questions about why Barcelona bought Coutinho from Liverpool in January 2018 in the first place.

The 27-year-old’s future had been the subject of speculation throughout the summer, during which Barcelona signed Antoine Griezmann, and he was not part of the matchday squad for their first game of the season, last Friday’s 1-0 LaLiga loss to Athletic Bilbao.

Coutinho has scored 21 goals in 75 games in all competitions for Barcelona and produced 11 assists.

In Bayern’s statement confirming the deal on their official website, Coutinho said: “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 team-mates.”

Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: “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.”

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