Philippe Coutinho has signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool, the club has announced. It is understood that he has agreed a five-year deal.
The 24-year-old committed his future to the Reds, penning a fresh contract which comes into affect from 1 July, 2017.
This is unlikely to dampen down speculation of a big-money move however, with Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona both having been linked with the Brazilian midfielder.
The deal is set to make him one of the club's highest earners and does not include a buy-out clause.
"I signed this new contract to stay here for a few more years because it's a great honour for me," said Coutinho.
"It gives me great happiness because I was welcomed here with open arms by everyone at the club and the supporters right from my first day. I am very thankful to this football club for everything."
Coutinho has been at Anfield for four years following his transfer from Inter Milan in January 2013. He is one of the Reds’ most important performers, scoring 34 goals in his 163 Premier League appearances to date.
Coutinho recently returned to action month after an ankle injury had sidelined him from late November.
Prior to picking up that injury he had been in great form, scoring six goals in 14 appearances.
Coutinho made his comeback as a substitute in the EFL Cup semi-final, first-leg clash at Southampton on January 11 and has figured in a further three games since. He is set to feature in Wednesday night’s semi-final second leg, with the Saints leading 1-0.
“I am the kind of person that works very hard in trying to get better every day. I am always trying to learn, so this will be no different from what it was before my injury,” he said.
“Of course, with my injury things got a bit more difficult and I wasn’t playing for quite a while.
“When you come back, of course it is too difficult to be at the same level, but I have been working very hard each day in order to carry on producing good performances on the pitch to help the team achieve victories.
“The last few games were not so good but we are ready to stand up again and carry on fighting.”
✍🏻 It’s the news you’ve been waiting for…
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 25, 2017
🇧🇷 @Phil_Coutinho has signed a new deal with the club!
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