Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has explained that the main reason why the Reds could not bring Philippe Coutinho back to Anfield was that his price tag was much more than the budget for the summer transfer window.
Earlier this week, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich confirmed the signing of Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho on a loan deal from La Liga side Barcelona. The 27-year-old joined Barcelona from Liverpool back in January 2018 from Liverpool in a staggering £142 million deal but has failed to justify his hefty price tag unable displaying an underwhelming run of form over the past 18 months.
Coutinho came under heavy criticism from the La Blaugrana faithful and was linked with a move back to Liverpool this summer as the European champions could have done with an attacking midfielder to topple Premier League champions Manchester City.
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But after a relatively quiet summer transfer window, Jurgen Klopp said that Liverpool could not afford to bring back Coutinho to Merseyside. While speaking to reporters, the 52-year-old German boss explained that Coutinho’s wages and €8.5 million loan fee were over the transfer budget for the Reds as they already spent the money that Barcelona paid for Coutinho. “It sounds a bit strange, but we could not afford it, We have already spent the money that we got for him.”, he said.
However, the charismatic German boss backed Coutinho to shine for in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich after struggling to have a positive impact at the Camp Nou. “He’s a great player, a great boy, We were reluctant to sell him, but Barcelona forced us with money, so to speak. He is a player who can change games for the positive. It’s not that nice for Dortmund, but it’s a great transfer for Bayern and the Bundesliga.”
