Liverpool make Barcelona pay extra £100m for any transfers until 2020
Liverpool agreed an extraordinary deal with Barcelona to limit the Spanish club’s capacity to sign any more Anfield players until 2020.
Details have emerged of the preventive measures taken when Liverpool reluctantly sanctioned the sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for £142million last January.
During negotiations, sporting director Michael Edwards insisted on a £100million premium on top of any transfer fee if Barcelona tried to lure more of their players.
The deal is a reflection of Liverpool’s distaste for how the pursuit of Coutinho progressed in the six months prior to his exit.
Edwards’s stance forced the La Liga club’s hand as they sought to conclude a deal, with Coutinho also pushing for a move.
Liverpool had written to Barcelona in the summer of 2017 warning them not to make further bids and threatening to report their European rivals to Fifa for an alleged illegal approach.
Coutinho did not play for Liverpool while the transfer window was open, citing a “bad back”.
Barcelona’s shirt sponsors, Nike, further riled Liverpool by announcing Coutinho’s arrival weeks before it was formally agreed.
Matters were finally resolved when Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, granted Coutinho’s wish, but only on the club’s terms – which, when ultimately agreed by Edwards, have proved to be more beneficial than originally thought.
The terms should ensure Barcelona’s scouts have little need to travel to Anfield for two years. They had earlier recruited Luis Suarez.
Barcelona have most recently been linked with a move for Sadio Mane, who, unlike Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, has yet to sign a new contract.