There was some joy for Liverpool fans even after their poor start to 2017 as Philippe Coutinho signed a new deal that kept him at the club till 2022 and also makes him one of the best-paid players at the club.

The 24-year-old had become one of Barcelona’s biggest transfer targets for next season and there have been a number of stars who have suggested that the Brazilian would be a perfect fit for the Catalan giants.

While reports suggest that the former Inter Milan man might be making close to £150,000-a-week, it has also been speculated that Coutinho could nab as much as £200,000-a-week, should all the clauses and performance related fees max out.

This would certainly make him one of the highest-paid stars in the history of the club and that would be for good measure too. The Reds have looked poor without the mercurial ace in the last month and a half and will hope that he can start showing more magic in the coming days.

What is more important is the fact that there is no buy-out clause in the new contract extension and that does provide some sort of safety to Liverpool. This was a problem when Luis Suarez transferred to Barcelona as the Catalan side had matched the amount on his new contract and the Uruguayan has been making hay while the sun shines in La Liga.

Coutinho was extremely pleased by signing the new contract and spoke out about the new deal.

“I would like to thank everybody at the club, first of all,” he told Liverpool’s website.

“I am very happy to sign a new contract here. It is a club that I am very grateful to and this shows my happiness here. I will work much harder to repay the belief shown in me.

“I signed this new contract to stay here for a few more years because it’s a great honour for me. It gives me great happiness because I was welcomed here with open arms by everyone at the club and the supporters right from my first day. I am very thankful to this football club for everything.”

This might not put an end to the Barcelona transfer rumours but it does show that Liverpool wants to keep their best players and are willing to do everything they can in their power. The Reds will hope that Coutinho continues to star for the side for a number of years and hopefully lead the Merseyside club to their first ever Premier League title soon.

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