LIVERPOOL DEMANDED €200 million for Philippe Coutinho when Barcelona made a Deadline Day bid to sign the Brazil forward, according to director Albert Soler.
Barca had made Coutinho one of their top targets after Paris Saint-Germain triggered Neymar’s €222m release clause to prise the forward away from the Catalan giants.
But Liverpool rejected a series of bids despite Coutinho reportedly making a transfer request in order to force through a move to Camp Nou.
Coutinho has not played for Liverpool this season due to injury and illness, but he came off the bench and scored in Brazil’s World Cup qualifying win over Ecuador on Thursday.
Barcelona subsequently made a late attempt to sign the 25-year-old before the transfer window closed only for Liverpool to request a whopping €200m
“After weeks of negotiations, yesterday Liverpool asked us for €200m for the player,” Soler told a news conference on Saturday. ”We will not put the club at risk.
“We have always worked with the mission not to put at risk the heritage and the viability of the club which is owned by the members.
“The fact that PSG came up with €222m [for Neymar] caused everyone to know that the club had money. When you go to the market and clubs know that you have a lot of money, the requests were exorbitant.”
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That chance against Spain in the quarter finals in 02- what could have been..
Last 16….? But we should have won that…. A Korea in quarters…. Germany in semi…..
Apologies see your correction now!
Him an Ian Hart never got the ad off Pizza Hut they most definitely deserved. Wish him the best
With Holland and kilbane? Would have been a fairly packed booth!
Very good poacher. Often overlooked and unfairly ridiculed. About 20 of those 41 caps came in the last 5 or 10 minutes of games. Remember his goal v Turkey in a friendly where he ran rings around Alpay
Ya coz a country like ours (without a professional league) should be embarrassed at not reaching the q finals as a minimum.
Better than robbie keane
How does that figure?
He was good… very good imo but not international class
Correction ; The Spain game was in the rounds of 16 – doesn’t have the same ring as the quarter finals does it., still warranted a Joe Duffy welcome in the Phoenix Park which was embarrassing.
He was half decent in fairness, successful spell with feyonord…ah here he was lethal
Only average !
Martin; read my comment properly. I’m referring to the homecoming which was embarrassing- not the teams performance.
Better than Robbie Keane ha ha