New Barcelona signing Philippe Coutinho has revealed how his friend Luis Suarez played a major role in his club record move to the Catalan club.
Brazilian forward Coutinho was unveiled as a Barcelona on Monday afternoon after putting pen to paper on a five and a half year deal.
Coutinho and Suarez played together at Liverpool and he was quick to point out the major influence the Uruguay had on his decision to move to Barcelona.
Suarez even helped Coutinho get a house in the Bellamar neighbourhood of Castelldefels, a beach town just along the coast from the city.
The new house means that the former Inter Milan star will be neighbours with Suarez and Lionel Messi as well.
Speaking earlier about Suarez’s influence on his next destination via Sportsmail, Coutinho said: “He (Suarez) saw that a house next to his became available. He didn’t know I was coming for certain but he liked the idea. It is a kind gesture.”
“We’ve seen the pictures, it looks amazing. We are in touch all the time and I know Luis will help us to feel at home.” he added.
He also spoke about Suarez in his first presser as a Barca player. The playmaker said: “We almost won the Premier League together at Liverpool [in 2014], it was a great time.
“We are good friends and he wrote me a lot of messages telling me about the city and the club. It just made me want to come here even more.” he further stated.
Coutinho also spoke to his Brazilian compatriot Neymar about the move.
Neymar was formerly a Barcelona before he joined moneybags Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) last summer.
On Neymar, Coutinho said: “Of course, I spoke to Neymar and he had nothing but good things to say about the team, the city and the dressing room.”
“I was always clear from the beginning that I wanted to come here and I want to thank everyone who understood what my desire was.
“It was always my dream to come to Barca. It was a unique opportunity and the contract is for five years.
“I want to thank everybody, I am living a dream. I want to thank the directors for their patience. I also want to thank Liverpool and their fans for understanding it was a dream to come to FC Barcelona.” he concluded.
