Philippe Coutinho's departure in January hit some Liverpool fans hard, but it was not completely unexpected.

The Brazilian playmaker was heavily linked with the Catalan giants in the summer, but the Reds held firm and did not sell.

Once the January transfer window opened, rumours reignited about Coutinho's possible switch to the Camp Nou.

It was not long before the 25-year-old was bidding farewell to the Merseyside outfit, where he had transformed into arguably the team's best player.

Coutinho has now revealed some detail about the manner in which the deal was struck.

Interestingly, the former Inter Milan star suggested during an interview with Fora de Joc on Catalan channel 8tv that an agreement had been put in place for the player to join Barcelona in the winter following their interest prior to the start of the season.

"Everyone knows that I wanted to come to Barcelona. It wasn't possible in the summer, but we worked so that it could be done in winter. I really want to win big titles, it was one of the reasons that made me sign for the club. I want to win as many as I can, I don't have preferences."

Liverpool fans have since taken to Twitter to discuss their former player's admission, and not everyone is best pleased.

https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/klopp-excuses.mp4