Alejandro Moreno and Craig Burley react to reports Philippe Coutinho will join Bayern Munich on loan and examine how it impacts Barcelona.
Alejandro Moreno delves into the benefits a departure would have for Philippe Coutinho's confidence and Barcelona's bottom line.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp tells ESPN FC's Melissa Reddy that re-signing Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona would take "big, big money" and "it's not our year for that."
Philippe Coutinho has joined Bayern Munich on loan from La Liga side Barcelona.
The deal began to materialise on Friday, when Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told reporters: "I can confirm [Bayern sporting director] Hasan Salihamidzic and I were in Barcelona last Wednesday, and we reached an agreement with both the club and the player over a transfer."
Rummenigge added that the defending Bundesliga champions are paying an €8.5 million loan fee and will have an option to buy Coutinho for €120m after the loan period ends. Sources also told ESPN FC that Bayern will pay the midfielder's salary in full.
- When does the transfer window close?
- Transfer grades: Tracking every big club's deals
- All major completed transfer deals
"I must thank Barcelona," Rummenigge said after his club's 2-2 draw with Hertha Berlin in their Bundesliga opener on Friday.
"I am on very friendly terms with the Barcelona president [Josep Maria Bartomeu], and that, at the end of the day, maybe helped us transfer this player to FC Bayern.
"It's a very important player for us, not only because of his name, but also because of the way he plays. His quality will help our attacking game. We are happy."
TRANSFERS
Transfer grades: Rating every major signing from Europe
Why did Prem teams spend less this window?
Why were Chelsea given a transfer ban?
Coutinho signed for Barca for £130.5 million in January 2018 after spending five years in the Premier League at Liverpool.
The 27-year-old has scored 21 goals and provided 11 assists in 76 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions, winning two La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey.
The Brazil international's spell at the Catalan club has not always been a smooth one, however, with Barca fans failing to warm to the midfielder.
Coutinho will be more welcome in Germany, according to Bayern manager Niko Kovac.
"In my opinion, not only FC Bayern Munich, but also the entire Bundesliga and the whole of Germany can be delighted to be welcoming such a big-name player to our league," Kovac said.
Information from ESPN FC's Barcelona correspondent Sam Marsden was used in this report
Source: espn.co.uk