Jürgen Klopp: Coutinho was "desperate" to join Barcelona

German coach Jürgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool, acknowledged that Brazilian Philippe Coutinho had insisted on his transfer to Barcelona since July and was "desperate" for the move to happen.

Coutinho has become a new Barcelona player for the rest of the season and five more seasons, as announced by the Catalan club.

In statements published on Liverpool's official website, Klopp assures that "it was no secret that Philippe wanted the transfer to happen since July, when Barcelona first expressed their interest."

"Philippe insisted to me, to the owners (of Liverpool), and even to his teammates that he was desperate for this transfer to happen. Despite everything, we managed to keep him in the summer market, hoping to persuade him to stay and be part of our project," he explains.

Klopp addresses Liverpool fans to assure them that he has "done everything possible to convince Philippe that staying at Liverpool was as attractive as going to Spain, but he was 100% sure that his future and that of his family were in Barcelona."

"It is his dream and now I am sure that we have nothing left to do to change his mind. Philippe has made a fantastic contribution to this club in five years of service," commented the coach.

Players, Klopp acknowledges, "come and go, that's football," but he assures that the club is strong enough to continue its "aggressive progression on the field".