Liverpool Set for Barcelona Payment After Philippe Coutinho Hits First Add-On Target

Liverpool are set to receive an extra €5m for the sale of Philippe Coutinho after the first of his add-on clauses was activated this past week.

Barcelona paid an initial €120m for the Brazilian playmaker, with an additional €40m in clauses agreed between the two clubs once certain criteria were met. 

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The first of these was triggered after Coutinho made 25 appearances for the Catalan club, something which he achieved when he started against Real Valladolid last weekend.

Coutinho was unable to influence that game, with Ousmane Dembele grabbing the only goal of the macth in a nervous victory for Barcelona. The Brazilian has been a big hit since his January arrival though, having scored 11 goals already in those first 25 games.

The 26-year-old has also won his first major honour since the 2011 Coppa Italia in his short time at the Nou Camp, helping Barca to a league and cup double last season - although neither of these achievements affected the list of bonuses.

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According to AS, the agreement includes another three add-on bonuses - but the first of these cannot be achieved until at least the end of the season. Liverpool will receive another €10m if Barcelona qualify for next season’s Champions League, which should be all but a certainty.

The Reds will also get an additional €5m if Barcelona win the Champions League at any point whilst Coutinho is at the club. Finally, a further €20m will be added to the total once the playmaker has made over 100 appearances for the club.

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Given the recent history of the Catalan side and the player’s flying start at the club, Liverpool will likely be confident of securing all available bonuses bringing the total transfer fee up €160m.