Philippe Coutinho is on the brink of becoming Liverpool’s highest earner with a new contract expected to run until 2022 that does not contain a release clause.
Talks with the Brazil international over fresh terms have been positive, with the player happy to commit his future to the Reds without escape stipulations attached as an endorsement of Jurgen Klopp’s vision for the club.
The announcement of the 24-year-old’s decision to progress with the deal, expected imminently, will lift Liverpool, who have been determined to stop the talent drain of seasons past as they build a culture of excellence and achievement.
It will also elevate Coutinho to the uppermost salary bracket at Anfield, where he’ll now be above Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Daniel Sturridge with a package understood to be around £150,000 a week.
The new proposal rightly reflects the attacker’s status at the club, where he has been named Player of the Season two years running, while warding off interest from Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
Coutinho’s continued advancement – he was the among the Premier League’s standout performers before ankle ligament damage suffered in November kept him sidelined for 46 days – was always going to lead to interest from Europe’s elite.
But the creative conjurer from Rio, who has already contributed to 13 goals in this campaign, regards Anfield as the best place for his talents with his young family settled on Merseyside, his contribution warmly saluted on the terraces, and the belief that Liverpool are on an upward trajectory under Klopp.
Coutinho feels his ambitions can be realised with the Reds, which is exactly the sentiment the German has referenced solidifying in the past.
“It is creating the perspective that no-one wants to leave. That is all it is about,” the manager said.
“The players like to be here and it is our job to make sure it stays like this.”
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