When Philippe Coutinho left Liverpool in January of 2018, it was seen as a potentially massive blow to Jurgen Klopp's project at the club.
The reality was very different. Liverpool invested the money received into deals for Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, acquisitions that would help lead them to Champions League and Premier League glory.
On the other hand, Coutinho struggled at his new club. He became a target of ridicule for Barcelona supporters after struggling for form, ultimately being shipped out on loan to Bayern Munich last season.
While he has returned to the Camp Nou for this campaign and played a sizeable part under new manager Ronald Koeman, it appears that his time at the club could quickly be drawing to a close.
SPORT are reporting that Barcelona will look to sell Philippe Coutinho in January in order to avoid a sizeable payment to Liverpool that was agreed in his transfer to the club.
It was agreed that Barcelona would make a payment of £18million when the Brazilian made 100 appearances for the La Liga club He currently sits on 90 appearances, with Spanish club reluctant to make a further payment considering their current financial issues.
They would be willing to accept a fee of around £45million for Coutinho in January, a full £100million less than the potential fee they agreed with Liverpool less than three years ago.
However, finding a buyer even at that price is not guaranteed. Barcelona could be willing to let him leave on loan for the second half of the campaign if no permanent deal can be found, before moving him on in the summer.
Barcelona have been on a cost cutting mission in recent months, meaning avoiding this payment will be a huge priority at the turn of the year.
Liverpool will surely be hoping that Coutinho will be stuck in Spain for a few more months.
SEE ALSO: Report: Liverpool Agree Deal For Former Swansea Midfielder
