Liverpool "dismissed claims" from Barcelona that Philippe Coutinho’s £142M ($192.2M) move "only happened" because the EPL club slashed its "original asking price for the Brazilian," according to Paul Joyce of the LONDON TIMES. Barcelona "attempted to score a political point" over its rivals at Coutinho’s official unveiling on Monday, when club VP Jordi Mestre said that "there has been a significant reduction" in price from last summer, which helped to "facilitate the transfer." Mestre suggested Barcelona had been quoted £176.5M in August, but that version of events was "picked apart because Liverpool’s stance throughout the Spanish club’s initial approach" was that he was "not available at any price." That "did not stop Barcelona from bidding, but three offers were rejected." The "only price Liverpool ever asked for the 25-year-old" was the £142M fee, which Barcelona met on Saturday (LONDON TIMES, 1/9). In London, Chris Bascombe reported Liverpool sources "are adamant" that no price was "ever proposed" by Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group. Negotiations over a fee "were only concluded shortly before Coutinho’s exit," with the player himself making a financial contribution of £11.5M ($15.6M) to "ensure the valuation was met." Barcelona’s politicking "is in keeping with a familiar trend in Spanish football, where elected board members seek to lobby for popular support when basking in the glow of a transfer coup" (TELEGRAPH, 1/8).
