£145m MAN COUTINHO
Klopp concedes defeat in battle for Coutinho, saying: Barca is his dream move
PHILIPPE COUTINHO last night clinched his dream move to Barcelona in a £145million deal which Jurgen Klopp was adamant he was powerless to stop.
The Brazilian star, who signed a five-and-a-half-year deal, became the third most expensive player in the world after Paris Saint-Germain pair Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
And Klopp said: ‘I can tell the Liverpool supporters that we, as a club, have done everything within our means to convince Philippe that remaining part of LFC was as attractive as moving to Spain.’
JURGEN KLOPP insisted last night that Liverpool had done everything possible to keep Philippe Coutinho but, reluctantly, they had to let him join Barcelona for a staggering £145million.
Coutinho, 25, who joined Liverpool for just £8.5m in 2013, signed a five-and-a-half-year deal at the Nou Camp.
It makes the Brazilian the third most expensive footballer in history — and while many fans will be devastated to see the back of a man who has lit up Anfield, Klopp admitted that Coutinho had to go.
The manager told Liverpool’s website: ‘It is with great reluctance that we — as a team and club — prepare to say farewell to a good friend, a wonderful person and a fantastic player in Philippe Coutinho.
‘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.
‘Despite that, we managed to keep the player here beyond the summer window, hoping that we would be able to persuade him to stay and be part of what we are looking to do.
‘I can tell the Liverpool supporters that we, as a club, have done everything within our means to convince Philippe that remaining part of LFC was as attractive as moving to Spain, but he is 100 per cent certain his future — and that of his family — belongs at Barcelona. It is his dream and I am now convinced there is nothing left at our disposal to change his mind.’
It ends a long-running saga between Liverpool and the Catalan giants that dates back to last summer when the Anfield club turned down three offers rising to £118m.
However, following the £75m purchase of Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool have decided to cash in on their star asset.
Coutinho will link up with Lionel Messi and another former Liverpool favourite, Luis Suarez, with the Reds collecting more than 17 times the fee they paid for Coutinho from Inter Milan in 2013.
Coutinho, who scored 54 times in 201 appearances for Liverpool, now becomes the third most expensive player in the world after Paris Saint-Germain duo Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, whose move from Monaco has been agreed even though it is currently a loan deal.
Klopp added: ‘Philippe has made a fantastic contribution to this club over his five years of service and as disappointed as we are he doesn’t want to extend that, the relationship we have for him means, with a heavy heart, we wish him well.
‘The player remained dedicated and committed to helping us win matches, producing good performances and training hard each day at Melwood after the summer window had closed, despite failing to convince us to allow him to leave during that period, and that level of professionalism reflects positively on him.
‘Of course, it is totally understandable that supporters will be disappointed; this is always the case when you have to say goodbye to someone special.
‘But, as hard as it is sometimes to accept, it is part of life and part of football — individuals have their own dreams and their own goals and objectives in life.
‘Players will come and players will go, that is football, but as a club we are big enough and strong enough to continue with our aggressive progression on the pitch, even when we lose an important player.
‘We have never been in a better position in recent times, as a club, to react in the right way.
‘We will use our size and strength to absorb moments like this and still move forward.
‘I have been here long enough now to know in the history of Liverpool, key players have left before — but the club always goes on.’
Speculation had been rife about Coutinho’s future after he missed Liverpool’s last two games with a reported groin injury.
He didn’t leave with the rest of his team-mates for a mini-break in Dubai after Friday night’s FA Cup win against Everton.
Coutinho will be cup-tied from the Champions League, having played in the competition for Liverpool this season.
If he is to justify becoming the most expensive player in Barcelona’s history, he will be expected to link up with Suarez and eventually replace Andres Iniesta.
Coutinho was close to Suarez at Liverpool, living near the Uruguayan and connecting with him on the pitch. Suarez will welcome him as a neighbour again.
In the long term, Coutinho has the far more ominous task of filling the boots of Iniesta, 33, one of the most decorated players in Barcelona and Spanish football history.