NEW YORK (Reuters) - Paul Parker, the former global head of mergers and acquisitions at Barclays, has joined Goldman Sachs Group as co-chairman of its mergers and acquisitions division, a spokesman for Goldman Sachs said on Sunday.

Parker is one of the world's most accomplished M&A bankers, having recently advised Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc on its roughly US$50 billion bid for Botox maker Allergan and Comcast Corp on a US$42 billion takeover of rival cable group Time Warner Cable.

Parker, a Lehman Brothers veteran who left Barclays in May, is expected to assume his new role in the next couple of weeks, the Goldman Sachs spokesman said, confirming an earlier report in the Financial Times.

Jack Levy and Tim Ingrassia will continue in their roles as co-chairmen of mergers and acquisitions and share that title with Parker, who is expected to handle some of the investment bank's most important client relationships.

Gene Sykes and Gregg Lemkau will continue to manage Goldman Sachs' global M&A business, the spokesman said.

Parker was just one of a number of high-profile departures at Barclays in the United States in recent months that included Hugh 'Skip' McGee, the head of its Americas business.

Barclays Chief Executive Antony Jenkins has said he does not expect a further exodus of top talent after these departures in the United States.