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Barcelona announced on Wednesday that Philippe Coutinho has undergone successful surgery on his knee. However, he has been ruled out of the current campaign while he recovers.
The news means Liverpool are set to miss out on a £17m bonus included in Philippe Coutinho's contract when he signed for Barcelona in 2018. The bonus is to be paid to Liverpool whenever Coutinho makes 100 appearances for Barcelona.
However, Coutinho cannot reach this milestone as he has been ruled out of the season. He sustained a knee injury while in action for Barcelona against Eibar in December and has been absent from the squad ever since.
Coutinho's last appearance for Barcelona was his 90th since joining the club in 2018, which means he is 10 appearances away from activating the £17m bonus fee for Liverpool.
Coutinho could have played his last game at the Camp Nou as Barcelona are ready to move the Brazilian on in the summer after a largely uninspiring three years in Spain.
Coutinho expected to leave Barcelona at the end of the season
Coutinho joined Barcelona from Liverpool in January of 2018 for a whooping £120m and played well in his first six months with the Spanish giants. He scored 10 goals and provided five in 22 games that year.
The midfielder's first full season at Barcelona, however, saw him suffer a dip in form. He scored just one more goal than he did in his first half-season, this time in 54 games.
The former Liverpool man was then loaned out to Bayern Munich for the 2019/20 campaign following the arrival of Antoine Griezmann at Barcelona. Coutinho had a mixed season with the German powerhouse but was part of the squad that won the treble last season. He also scored twice in the 8-2 demolition of his parent club Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Coutinho returned to Barcelona ahead of the current campaign with the Spanish giants hopeful that the former Liverpool man would replicate his success at Bayern Munich. However, Coutinho failed to impress once again, scoring just thrice before his season-ending injury.
Barcelona are now set to let go of Coutinho in the summer as they look to begin a rebuild under new club President Joan Laporta.
The 28-year-old has been linked with a return to the Premier League with London sides Tottenham and Arsenal believed to be interested in the player's services. According to reports, a return to Liverpool could also be on the cards for the player.
