Liverpool may have succeeded in warding Barcelona off the back of Philippe Coutinho as the midfielder has put pen to papers for a new five-year contract worth about £150,000 a week, making him the current highest paid Reds player.
The 24-year-old Brazilian star player moved to Anfield from Inter Milan for £8.5m in January 2013, and his new deal will expire in 2022 and there is no release clause included in it. He has been instrumental to Liverpool title race this season with his incredible performances which caught the eyes of Barcelona who are highly interested in bringing him to Nou Camp.
Coutinho was signed by former manager Brendan Rodgers and has scored 34 goals in 163 appearances for Liverpool. Prior his injury he has scored six goals and assisted another seven in 14 appearances this season.
Jurgen Klopp has reiterated that his playmaker is not for sale and he is glad he has tied him down to a long-term deal. With Coutinho’s contract issued settled, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Emre Can are reportedly next on the list.
Liverpool hierarchy believes that Lallana deserves a new contract following his positive start to the season. The England international has been impressive, scoring seven goals and assisting seven more in 20 Premier League appearances.
Elsewhere, Lovren has become a regular figure in the centre of the Reds defence, and even though he has not been really consistent, Klopp is reportedly keen to hold on to the Croatian. However, there are doubts over the future of Emre Can at the club as talks have reportedly reached a deadlock.
Keeping their star players is pivotal to the stability of the club especially after dropping to ten points adrift the top spot of the league. They are not totally out of the title race yet and there is the Champions League place to fight for.