Philippe Coutinho arrived at Barcelona in January 2018 in a blaze of glory, one of the most highly-touted footballers in Europe as noted by Diario AS. The Brazilian has far from lived up to the standard you’d expect from a player who cost €160m, however, and looks to be on the way out in the near future. Three years after signing, a new clause has come to light in the transfer.
As well as the usual series of clauses related to bonuses that have brought in more capital to Liverpool in the years since the transfer, their sporting director, Michael Edwards, included a clause that practically prevents Barcelona from signing Liverpool players until 2021. Barcelona would have to pay a premium of €93m on top of any transfer fee to sign a Liverpool player.
Joan Laporta, Barcelona’s newly-elected president, is keen to get rid of Coutinho as soon as possible. It’s a path the club have tried before, however, without a great deal of success. Coutinho’s market value at the moment is in the region of €40m. The Carioca is enduring an injury-hit season in Catalonia.