Philippe Coutinho signing Bayern Munich on loan may imply he is working towards his "big ambitions," but many have worried that this means Liverpool will lose out on a big chunk of the transfer sale it made with Barcelona. However, new computations showed that Liverpool only stands to lose £4.5 million and that this amount can be mitigated further if Coutinho returns to Barcelona by the end of his loan move.
The ex-Reds talisman wanted out of Anfield back in January 2018, but the transfer towards Barcelona did not end up the way he expected. Instead, he reportedly had a harder time than he anticipated here and he could not perform as well as he thought he could, nor at the level banked on him. As a result, Barcelona has loaned the playmaker to Bayern Munich for the season, for a price of £7.8 million, plus wages, as reported by The Guardian. The contract includes an option to buy at a fixed price of £109.8m - a chance to make this a more permanent deal next summer, depending on the circumstances.
Barcelona released an official statement with regard to the move, apparently with no hard feelings. "Barcelona would like to publicly thank Philippe Coutinho for his commitment and dedication," the statement reads.
According to the Evening Standard, even though the total fee Liverpool agreed on at the time of the transfer sale was £146 million, £36 million of this amount was based on several add-ons. Because most of these add-ons have already been triggered, Liverpool can cut its losses.
Barcelona already compensated for the £9 million Champions League related add-on upon reaching the semi-finals of the previous season, where they lost to Liverpool, as reported by Metro UK. As such, only £4.5 million of the performance-related add-ons need to be attained by Coutinho. When the player returns to Barcelona when this loan move ends, more of these bonuses can still be triggered.
When and if the player and Bayern Munich come into agreement to make this transfer permanent, then Liverpool in effect took home £141 million from his move to Barcelona.
These computations aside, Countinho is beyond excited for this new beginning. Playing for the Bundesliga giants serves as a dream come true. "'For me, this change represents a new challenge in a new country at one of the best clubs in Europe," he said. "I am really looking forward to this. I have big goals, like Bayern, and I'm sure I can do it with my new team-mates," he added.
