Coutinho: Liverpool did their best to keep me

Cape Town - Barcelona's latest addition, Philippe Coutinho, has revealed that Liverpool did their utmost to keep him at Anfield but that his drive to join the Blaugrana was too strong.

Coutinho penned a five-and-a-half-year contract with Barca on Monday, after the Catalans forked out £146m to prize the Brazilian away from his employers at Merseyside.

The signing brought an end to a transfer saga that saw Liverpool reject several bids in August.

Coutinho admits the Reds did everything they could to hold on to him, but his dream was always to sign for Barcelona.

"I just want to thank the club for its patience and its effort," said the 25-year-old, according to Sky Sports. "I'm very happy, this is a dream come true for me and I hope to live up to the expectations."

"They understood that it was what I wanted. They did all they could to try to keep me, but in the end, they understood that it was my dream, and the dream of my family, to come here.

"I just would like to thank all the fans, all the staff and all the players for the years I lived there.

"For sure, I gave everything I could. Unfortunately, we could not win but I lived [in Liverpool] for five years and my family was very happy there.

"So, I just would like to thank them and wish them all the best."

Meanwhile, the Brazilian will only make his debut for Barcelona as early as next month due to a thigh injury.