Philippe Coutinho says the prospect of playing with the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez means his move to Barcelona is a dream come true ahead of his official unveiling.
The finishing touches have been put on his British record transfer from Liverpool, which could be worth up to £142million, and the Spanish club will parade him at the Nou Camp on Monday.
The 25-year-old Brazil international, who watched his new side’s 3-0 win over Levante on Sunday, will perform a ceremonial signing of his contract at 1130GMT on Monday before a photo shoot on the pitch and a press conference.
He told Barca TV: “I’m very happy, very happy. I have always said that it is a dream that I am living and I am very happy to be here.
“To be able to play, win titles, make the fans happy… always play with joy.
“It is incredible to know that I am going to live with idols, players with a lot of history.
“Footballers like Leo Messi, Luis Suarez, (Andres) Iniesta, (Gerard) Pique, (Sergio) Busquets.
“I am very happy to be able to live together, to be able to learn from them and be able to win together.”
Having earlier been presented at a photocall, Coutinho posted a short video message on the Barcelona Twitter feed.
“Hi, Barca fans. I am already here, it is a dream come true, and I hope to see you tomorrow,” Coutinho said.
Coutinho is joining a team that is nine points clear at the top of LaLiga and seemingly on the way to another title.
And boss Ernesto Valverde is confident Coutinho, who arrived at Liverpool from Inter Milan for £8.5million in January 2013, will prove a valuable addition to his star-studded squad.
“I think he can bring us a lot of things,” Valverde said at a press conference after Sunday’s game, as quoted by Spanish media outlet Marca.
“Coutinho scores goals, assists, he can play both insides (down the center) and outside (on the flanks).
“I have seen him play in many positions both for Liverpool and in his national team.
“After taking a long break, he is already with us, we hope he will help us and we will wait to see him train for at least one day to assess his condition.”
