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Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Soccer: Coutinho to join Bayern on loan

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - Barcelona v Villarreal - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - December 2, 2018 Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho during the match REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona's record signing Philippe Coutinho is set to move to Bayern Munich on loan for the remainder of the season, the Spanish champions said on Friday.

The Brazil midfielder travelled with Barca to their opening La Liga game of the season against Athletic Bilbao but was left out of the matchday squad.

"We can confirm that we have reached an agreement with Bayern Munich over the loan of Coutinho," director of institutional relations Guillermo Amor told reporters.

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - FC Barcelona v Real Madrid - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - October 28, 2018 Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo

Coutinho, 27, joined Barca from Liverpool in January 2018 for a club record fee of 120 million euros (£109.5 million) plus 45 million euros in variables.

"There are still some issues pending such as the contract signature and the medical check but we have an agreement," Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic told ZDF television.

"We are delighted to have brought him to Bayern. It is a one-year loan deal with an option to buy him for Bayern. He is a very versatile player who will surely give us a lot of options."

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Copa America Brazil 2019 - Semi Final - Brazil v Argentina - Mineirao Stadium, Belo Horizonte, Brazil - July 2, 2019 Brazil's Philippe Coutinho reacts REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

The Brazilian played 76 games for the Catalans in all competitions, scoring 21 goals, but struggled to dovetail with his fellow attackers and has not had the intended impact on the team, despite winning two consecutive La Liga titles.

(Reporting by Richard Martin, Additional reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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