10 star players whose clubs refused to sell them

#3 Philippe Coutinho

Liverpool's asking price of £178 million proved to be too much even for Barcelona.

In a transfer window that Liverpool failed to land their top defensive target, Liverpool also endured a few tough months as the side looked destined to leave their Brazilian magician Coutinho to Barcelona.

The departure of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain had put the Catalan club under immense pressure to acquire the services of an able replacement and the management at the club decided that Coutinho was the man who possessed the requisite partnership to form a lethal partnership alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

Even though Coutinho let Klopp and co know that he preferred a move to Barcelona, the German refused to buckle under the pressure being heaped on him and to their credit, the hierarchy at the club ensured that Klopp had their backing.

What began as a firm stance that the player would not be sold, became soft as the end of the transfer window approached its end but there was a catch that forced even a club of Barcelona’s financial muscle to retrieve.

Liverpool decided that they would let Coutinho leave only if Barcelona could shell up a whopping sum of £178 million and that proved enough to ensure that the Brazilian remained a Liverpool player.

The Brazilian has now returned to Liverpool’s starting line-up and will be hoping to make amends for his failed transfer saga with a performance that would ensure his growth as a footballer.