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#4. Philippe Coutinho
The Philippe Coutinho transfer saga was long and messy, to say the least. Barcelona targeted the Brazilian after losing Neymar to PSG but Liverpool were not easy to do business with.
Jurgen Klopp didn’t want to lose one of his best players having got Liverpool back in the Champions League. Although the player was keen on moving and even submitted a transfer request, Liverpool released an official statement stating that Coutinho was not for sale.
Coutinho finished the entire preseason with Liverpool but was absent at the start of the season. Klopp said the player had back problems but it was evident that the Brazilian went on strike to force a move.
Liverpool didn’t budge despite multiple offers from Barcelona and at the end of the 2017 summer transfer window, Coutinho was still a Liverpool player. A few days after the window closed, he played for Brazil despite being absent from the Liverpool squad for a several games citing a ‘back problem’.
During the entire saga, several personalities connected to Barcelona publicly spoke on the move which angered Liverpool fans.
Former Liverpool player, Luis Suarez made the following comments:
“Both Griezmann and Coutinho are elite players that are playing at the top level. They are where they are for a reason. They're both young and have long careers ahead of them. And Barca always wants the best players.”
Suarez wasn’t the only one, Paulinho also talked up the transfer while Coutinho was still playing for Liverpool.
"Everyone expects the great players to come to Barcelona, we have a very strong group of great players, without Coutinho people are doing a great job. On Coutinho, it is not necessary to say much, he is a great player who has been making a difference in his team, in the Brazilian team. He is young but with experience in Europe.
I want him to come, I think it would be a great contract for Barca. It would be a great happiness for me because we would have another great player and another Brazilian."
After the summer transfer window closed, Coutinho returned to Liverpool and played his best football in Liverpool red. He played 20 games, scoring 12 goals and assisted 8 more.
He eventually signed for Barcelona in the winter transfer window for £105 million, rising to £142 million. This makes him the third most expensive player in the world at the moment.
