The Independent claims the player is ready for talks to settle any potential bad blood. It’s understood Liverpool rejected three bids from the Catalans with the final figure believed to be a £118million offer, which in fact proved to be just £82million up front with the rest in add-ons. Barca had imposed a 7pm Sunday deadline on Liverpool to agree to an offer that they had already rejected 48 hours earlier.
Club officials reportedly stood firm on their valuation, rejecting all offers and maintaining the player was not available for transfer at any price.
Sources close to the 25-year-old midfielder suggest that individuals within his circle are attributing the transfer saga's complexities to the pursuing club's tactics. They allege that family members were leveraged to intensify pressure, and that a poorly conceived communication strategy originated from the club itself.
The midfielder's camp aims to redirect responsibility for the transfer drama onto the interested club.
With a move now unlikely, the player faces an uncertain period as he prepares to rejoin his current squad. He has yet to resume full training and will miss upcoming fixtures.
SoccerFanatic88
Thanks for the post! All you described looks odd, to be honest. However, it’s a fair play to Liverpool for keeping him. But £82m upfront + add ons is a lot of money for a player, who while clearly being talented goes missing in one game too many. Pretty much any list of the world's top 40-50 players wouldn't feature Coutinho. And for Liverpool to demand £100m for him is a bit odd. Soccer is really unpredictable if you ask me.
MatchDayGuru
Absolutely! As a dedicated follower of the sport, it's puzzling why this transfer was pursued so aggressively if it was deemed unfeasible earlier. It seems like a situation the player might not have anticipated.
GoalGetter
All this situation seems to be a greatly planned manipulation. Well done to Liverpool on this - if true they get a key player back who is happy to play for them after feeling manipulated. That's a solid win. To my mind, it’s another absolute transfer window shocker for Barca. Their team sheet against Betis this weekend was so poor compared to their team of a couple of years ago. This window has hugely accelerated their decline.
ArenaObserver