Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has revealed he told Philippe Coutinho that his move to Bayern Munich would be a good fit.
The Reds were interested in trying to resign the Brazilian but were not in a financial position to afford the deal.
He instead securing a switch to the Bundesliga in a season-long loan deal with an option to make the move permanent in the summer.
In a video interview with German outlet Bild , Klopp admitted he advised his former player to make the move despite it having a negative impact on his former club, Bundesliga title rivals Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp said: “Amazing player, we really didn’t want to let him go. Barca forced us financially.
“World class player, really good transfer for Bayern and the Bundesliga. I thought it’s a good fit for both when I first heard about it. It may sound strange, but we didn’t have enough money to get him.
“We’d already spent all the money we got for him. I have already told him in person that he and Bayern will be a good fit.
“Not so good for Dortmund, I hope Dortmund will win the title again because it’s getting boring with Bayern winning every year. But Dortmund have an amazing team. Other teams like Leverkusen and Gladbach/ Leipzig are also interesting teams and a lot can happen.”
Coutinho has been tipped to turn the German side into Champions League contenders by new team-mate Robert Lewandowski.
Lewandowski said: "He can be the key in important games, especially in the Champions League.
"He can give us that something special. [Coutinho's presence] makes us more unpredictable, which makes us more dangerous."
