Barcelona to pay Liverpool €20m if Coutinho reaches 100 appearances

Barcelona will pay English Premier League champions €20m in fulfilment of a clause in Philippe Coutinho’s contract if he reaches 100 games for the club, according to Catalunya Radio (via Barca News).

The Brazilian joined Barcelona in January 2018 and is yet to find consistent footing with Barcelona after an initial exciting six-month period.

He was loaned out to Bayern Munich for the 2019/20 season where he won a treble under Hansi Flick but failed to convince enough for the Bavarian giants to sign him permanently.

There were reports linking him with a summer exit but the arrival of Ronald Koeman, who said he had him in his plans meant he stayed on. 

After an initial impressive start, Coutinho has fallen down the pecking ladder, with 18-year-old Pedri ahead of him in the roster. Not only do Barcelona need to pay mammoth wages for the 28-year-old during a time of financial constraint, but they might also be forced to pay more out of their pocket.

According to a clause in Coutinho’s contract, once the Brazilian reaches 100 games for Barcelona, the club owes Liverpool an additional €20 million.

Coutinho so far has 88 appearances for Barcelona and if he doesn’t leave in the January transfer window, he might reach 100 appearances before the end of the season which would mean a €20m payout to Liverpool, which would be a strain on Barcelona’s purse at this financially trying time for the club.