Liverpool poised for first Barcelona exchange since ugly Coutinho saga

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Liverpool and Barcelona could be set for their first exchange of players since the Philippe Coutinho saga that tarnished the relationship between the two clubs. The Brazilian joined Barcelona in 2018 from the Reds after five impressive years at Anfield, but did so in a public way that left many supporters disappointed by his actions.

In the 2017 summer transfer window, Liverpool rejected a £72million bid for Coutinho which prompted the player to submit a written transfer request. However, he was denied his move to La Liga as two more improved bids were rejected before the Reds succumbed mid-season and accepted an initial £105m deal that could have risen to £142m if various clauses were met.

Negotiations were so tough between the two clubs that it seems that Liverpool did not want to conduct transfer talks with the Catalan giants again, as The Mirror previously claimed that then-Reds sporting director Michael Edwards inserted a clause into the Coutinho deal that would force Barcelona into paying an £89m premium if they wished to sign another Liverpool player in the following two years.

After Coutinho joined the likes of Luis Suarez and Javier Mascherano in swapping Anfield for the Nou Camp, Edwards made it clear that he did not want any more stars making the move. There were fears at the time that Barcelona were targeting the likes of Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah, but the clause may have prohibited them from joining Coutinho in Barcelona.

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The ‘Coutinho clause’ expired in 2020, however, meaning that Barcelona are free to negotiate with Liverpool again regarding their players without fear of paying a £89m premium. The two sides have not conducted any business together since Coutinho left in what ended up becoming an underwhelming and costly transfer by Barcelona, but another Liverpool player could reportedly be set to make the switch.

Sunday’s edition of Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo has claimed that Naby Keita is attracting interest from Xavi’s outfit, as he is one of several midfield targets that the club are considering for the summer.

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He would appeal to the La Liga side as the Guinean is out of contract at the end of the season and would be a free transfer, as Barcelona are in the middle of wrestling with financial issues.

As Keita is in the final six months of his contract, Barcelona would be negotiating directly with him rather than Liverpool but it represents a change in transfer policy that could see Reds be targeted by the side that bought Coutinho, Suarez and Mascherano in previous years.

Despite Liverpool’s 7-0 drubbing of fierce rivals Manchester United on Sunday, they are at threat of not qualifying for next season’s Champions League and will harbour fears that their key men could be mooted for transfers to Barcelona in the summer.

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