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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
James Pearce

Liverpool get windfall from Barcelona as clause in £142million Philippe Coutinho transfer is triggered

Liverpool have pocketed a £4.3million bonus after a clause in the £142million transfer of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona was triggered.

The Brazilian attacker endured a miserable return to Anfield as the La Liga champions were stunned by the Reds' remarkable fightback in the semi-final of the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Some reports suggested that Barca's failure to reach the final would see Liverpool miss out on a potential windfall of £5million under the terms of the Coutinho deal which was agreed in January 2018.

However, the ECHO understands that a clause in fact stated that 5million Euros (£4.3million) would be paid to the Reds if Ernesto Valverde's side reached the quarter-finals of the competition this season.

With Barca having achieved that before being sensationally dumped out, Liverpool have still secured the hefty windfall.

This is how much money Liverpool earned by beating Barcelona in Champions League semi-finals  

Coutinho's future is increasingly uncertain in Spain after failing to live up to expectations.

The 26-year-old, who has scored 21 goals in 74 appearances for the Catalan outfit, was hauled off in both legs of the semi-final against his former club.

Barca face the prospect of making a huge loss if they decide to sell Coutinho this summer.

The deal thrashed out by Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards increasingly looks like one of the best pieces of business in the club's history.

The Reds negotiated a fee of £106million with a further £36million to potentially follow in add-ons - some five years after signing Coutinho from Inter Milan for just £8.5million.

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Barcelona ended up paying twice as much as they had first offered for Coutinho the previous July.

Liverpool reinvested the cash wisely with the signings of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker helping them reach back-to-back Champions League finals and maintain a thrilling challenge for the Premier League title.

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