Barcelona Reveal Liverpool’s Ridiculous Demand For Philippe Coutinho
Reuters / Carl Recine
Following the failed attempt to land the signing of Liverpool talisman Philippe Coutinho, Barcelona sporting director Albert Soler reveals what exactly went wrong.
The Spanish giants were keen on signing the Brazilian following the departure of Neymar Jr. to French side Paris Saint-Germain for a record breaking fee. However, Barcelona’s constant efforts were in vain, as Liverpool’s resolve proved to be too strong.
But, though Barca could not manage to bring in their preferred replacement for Neymar, they still managed to complete the signing of Dortmund starlet Ousmane Dembele for a club record fee of €150 million.
Meanwhile, with the end of the transfer window, sporting director Soler has shed some light on the Coutinho saga in a recent press conference. The Spaniard revealed that the Blaugrana submitted multiple bids for the talented midfielder, but the Premier League giants demanded €200m, which led to disagreements between the negotiating parties.
Soler: "After weeks of offers, yesterday Liverpool wanted €200 million for one player. We won't put the club at risk" pic.twitter.com/69mvzmlS9r
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 2, 2017
With the inflating transfer market, teams have begun to demand huge sums for their star players. However, Barca were not ready to take a risk of that level and ended up making a last minute ditch for Dembele, in order to maintain financial stability at the club.
The 20-year-old has a tough job of filling the shoes of Neymar, but he is expected to fulfil that task and keep his good run from Bundesliga going. Though last season’s Copa del Rey winners may have missed out on their idea of a perfect replacement, they have found a very promising youngster to fill in the gap.
Written by Ashish Sreejith 
Have had two addictions in life- playing football and watching football. Usually described as introverted but not when it comes to speaking and writing about the beautiful game of football.