The biggest last summer’ transfer ‘saga’ has continued at the beginning of January transfer window, but now we finally have an epilog.
Barcelona and Liverpool have both confirmed the agreement for Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho. The 25-year-old will arrive at Camp Nou for a fee of £146million, according to The Guardian.
Despite huge resistance from the English team, Coutinho eventually ended up in Spain after the player himself announced to the club that he craves to move to Barcelona and has no intention of staying at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp stated in an interview that Liverpool did everything to keep the former Inter player, but Coutinho’s will was crucial: “It is no secret that Philippe has wanted this move to happen since July when Barcelona first made their interest known. Philippe was insistent with me, the owners and even his team-mates this was a move he was desperate to make happen.”
There’s no doubt that the loss of Coutinho will be a huge blow for Reds, but Klopp intends to find a suitable replacement for Brazilian star.
Liverpool will receive £106m for Coutinho immediately, with remaining £40m divided into additional bonuses. The bulk of the funds will be reinvested in the transfer market, so the team remains competitive in the Champions League and in the domestic championship.
