Liverpool rubbish Barcelona claims over Philippe Coutinho transfer

The Catalan club signed Coutinho this winter for £142m after a transfer saga in the summer.

When Neymar departed the La Liga giants, Barca went in for Coutinho but had three bids knocked back by the Reds.

Despite the Brazilian handing in a transfer request, the Merseyside outfit stood firm.

After a lengthy transfer battle, Coutinho finally secured his dream move to the Nou Camp last week, but the Telegraph claim Liverpool have hit back at claims made by the Catalan club.

But the war has not stopped as one of Barca’s chiefs declared that they secured the 25-year-old at a cut-throat price.

Barcelona’s vice-president Jordi Mestre said: “The club has always been interested in signing Coutinho, the difference to last summer is that there was a big cut in price.

“We won't state the numbers because Liverpool don't want us to, but there was a big price cut.”

Although the true figure, including add-ons and promises, has not been revealed, a reported figure is £142m (€160m).

Coutinho himself has been reported to have paid his way out of Anfield, by adding £9m of his own money to Barca’s offer.

It is reminiscent of Neymar, who made a similar move during his messy departure from Spain.

Barcelona and La Liga both tried to block the deal but eventually Paris St-Germain got their way and secured the most expensive player in the world for around £200m.