Liverpool: Philippe Coutinho reveals he was interested in Barcelona transfer

Philippe Coutinho has opened up about his failed move to Barcelona in the summer, stating that he was interested in a transfer but the move broke down owing to Liverpool's decision to not have any negotiations with the Catalans. The Brazilian revealed that he was supported by his family in pushing for a dream move to the Camp Nou.

The 25-year-old was the subject of three transfer bids from Barcelona – the biggest of which amounted to £114m ($149m) – but Liverpool insisted that the midfielder would not be sold for any price. The interest from the La Liga giants prompted Coutinho to file a transfer request to force a move, but Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and owner Fenway Sports Group (FSG) refused to budge.

Coutinho missed Liverpool's start to the season with a back problem but managed to appear for Brazil during the international break. Despite his apparent return to fitness, Klopp decided to keep him out of the side against Manchester City. However, he did a play a part in the Reds' 2-2 draw against Sevilla and also in the weekend against Burnley where they were held to a 1-1 draw.

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde oversaw a large overhaul over the recent summer to bring four new players in the form of Paulinho, Nelson Semedo, Gerard Deulofeu and Ousmane Dembele. However, it remains to be seen if they renew discussions in January, with Coutinho cup tied in the Champions League after being included in the Reds' European squad.

"What happened was a job offer and, in life, sometimes you get interested, sometimes you don't, and in my case, as everybody knows, I got interested, my family too," Coutinho told ESPN Brasil, as quoted by the Mirror. "But as I've always said, it's a great honour to receive an offer from such a great club like that, but it's also a great honour being here, Liverpool is great club worldwide. Now I'm here and I'll give my best, as always."