Jurgen Klopp helped make 'Philippe Coutinho transfer clause' irrelevant at Liverpool

Liverpool have done plenty of business with Spanish giants Barcelona in recent years.

Javier Mascherano quit Anfield in the summer of 2010 to join the Catalans after a successful spell as a Red. He was joined by Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez four years later as Barcelona concluded their long-standing interest with a £75m swoop.

Even during Jurgen Klopp's time as Liverpool boss, negotiations between the two sides have continued. The Reds cashed a £142m cheque for the signature of Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho, who made a dream move to the Camp Nou in January 2018.

Explaining why Liverpool had agreed to the switch, Klopp said: “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 teammates this was a move he was desperate to make happen.”

The German then added: “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.”

While there has no doubt been a draw for Liverpool players to move to Barcelona over the past two decades, the Reds have attempted to stem the tide. Following Coutinho’s move, they negotiated a clause that would see the Spanish side pay an £89million premium on top of any transfer fee for a Liverpool player until the