Philippe Coutinho: Liverpool to compensate fans who bought replica shirt

Philippe Coutinho

And just like that, the paperwork is on its way and Philippe Coutinho is but a distant memory to Liverpool fans.

Well, perhaps not quite. But for many who have a memento of his time on Merseyside, the repercussions from his impending transfer to Barcelona could be costly.

Feel for those with Coutinho's name or face tattooed onto their skin. But for those with a less permanent souvenir, there is a glimmer of hope.

In a generous move, Liverpool say they will compensate anyone who bought a 2017-18 replica shirt featuring Coutinho's name and number via official club outlets with a £50 voucher, once the move is done.

A similar situation happened at Manchester City in 2015 when striker Sergio Aguero's squad number changed from 16 to 10 when Edin Dzeko moved to Roma.

On that occasion, the player himself offered to sign and send back the now out-of-date shirts.

Or City said they would replace the "Kun Aguero 16" shirts with ones bearing the new number.