With Liverpool left picking up the pieces following Philippe Coutinho’s blockbuster £142m transfer to Barcelona, the La Liga side’s vice-president Jordi Mestre claims that the Catalan club got their man at a reduced price.
Coutinho’s transfer is the second-biggest in football history, only eclipsed by Neymar’s £200m move from Barcelona to PSG in the summer, but the fee seemingly could’ve been higher.
The interest of the club has always been to take Coutinho to Barcelona. The difference is that there has been a substantial reduction in the cost of this transfer.
Mestra confirms that there was a reduction in the asking price from Liverpool in order to facilitate the transfer but refuses to divulge further.
There has been a very important reduction, even though we cannot publicly give the figures. We are not going to discuss the numbers. The important thing is we have the player here. If I reveal numbers I will be breaking our agreement with Liverpool.
It’s reported that Coutinho has stumped up over £10m of his own money to make the transfer happen, and Mestre seems to confirm that.
Philippe, welcome. We know that you have made a personal and economic effort. In the last months we have dreamed of this moment, we wish you the best, which is the best for all.
Coutinho himself has spoken out on his transfer, with the 25-year-old thanking the club and the fans for understanding his desire to complete his dream transfer despite their best efforts to persuade him to stay.
I want to thank everyone who understood what my desires were, especially people at Liverpool who kept their word.
They tried very hard to convince me to stay. I’d like to thank Liverpool, the club, the directors, and Liverpool fans for understanding it was my dream to come to Barcelona.
