Philippe Coutinho caught the attention of the Liverpool hierarchy whilst on loan at Espanyol from Inter Milan in 2012 and the Merseyside club decided to make their move in the January transfer window of 2013 with an £8.5 million bid that the Italian club accepted.
The Brazilian fulfilled his potential with some dazzling displays over the course of his five years at Anfield and Coutinho was named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2015. Following the conclusion of the 2016/17 season, it was assumed he would be the key to manager Jurgen Klopp’s plans to bring success to Liverpool heading into the following season. Barcelona, however, identified him as their top target and had three separate bids turned down for the attacking midfielder that summer, during which time the player handed in a transfer request.
Coutinho remained at Liverpool beyond that summer and continued to impress on the field before finally sealing a move to the Camp Nou in January 2018 for a reported £106 million. The transfer made him the second most expensive player in history at the time behind Neymar Jr and he won La Liga and the Copa del Rey in his first season in Spain. He also appeared prominently for Brazil at the 2014 World Cup in Russia and is expected to be a major player for club and country over the coming years.
