Barcelona Reveal Details of Philippe Coutinho Deal - Despite Bayern Saying Details Won't Be Revealed
Bayern Munich were made to look foolish after Barcelona released details regarding Philippe Coutinho's loan move to Bavaria - despite the Bundesliga champions saying the details wouldn't be revealed.
The Brazilian completed a season-long switch to Die Roten on Monday, though the Bundesliga side will have the chance to purchase the midfielder for €120m at the end of the 2019/20 campaign. Bayern were evidently under the impression that no financial figures would be disclosed to the public, but Barça have made them available for all to see.
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In a club statement following the capture of Coutinho, the German champions said: "FC Bayern possess an option to buy the 27-year-old following the expiry of his loan contract on 30 June 2020. All parties have agreed not to disclose any financial details of the agreement."
That seems straightforward enough. The only people who need to know how much money exchanged hands are those involved, right? Wrong! Barcelona want the world to hear how much they got out of Munich for the most frustrating member of their squad.
La Blaugrana paid Liverpool an eye-watering £140m to land Coutinho in January 2018 and it has looked like terrible business from the Catalans ever since. As a result, it's understandable that Barça want people to see they've recouped a sizeable chunk of that fee.
Announcing the playmaker's departure, their official website read: "FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich have reached an agreement for the loan of the player Philippe Coutinho to the German club for the 2019/20 season.
"Bayern Munich will pay €8.5m and the player’s wages. The agreement also sees an option to buy for Bayern fixed at €120m."
That looks a lot like someone disclosing the financial details of the agreement. The La Liga outfit don't care; now everyone knows they're not the only ones to pay over the odds for Coutinho!
