Michael Edwards' brilliant Liverpool transfer clause after Barcelona late swoop fails

Barcelona’s failed attempt to sign Liverpool youngster Stefan Bajcetic will remind them of a transfer masterstroke by Michael Edwards, the former sporting director at the Reds.

Edwards, who is now chief executive at football for Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group, was instrumental in selling Phillippe Countinho to the La Liga giants.

The Spanish club will remember Edwards’ negotiating prowess from when they purchased Coutinho in January 2018. He managed to secure a £105million fee for the Brazilian, which could rise to £142m with various add-ons.

Edwards’ recruitment skills earned him a reputation in the market, but the sale of Coutinho might have been one of his most significant achievements.

Not only did he secure a record fee for Liverpool, but Edwards also ensured that Barcelona would not be able to purchase any of their top players in the subsequent years.

It is believed that Edwards only agreed to Coutinho’s move on the condition that for the next two years, Barcelona would have to pay an £89m premium on top of any transfer fee if they wanted to sign any Liverpool player.

This stipulation, coupled with the Spanish giants’ financial troubles in recent years, prevented them from making the kind of signings that had previously allowed them to acquire Javier Mascherano, Luis Suarez and Coutinho in quick succession.

Barcelona’s pursuit of Liverpool’s promising youngster Bajcetic has come to a halt, despite the Catalan giants being free to negotiate after their exclusive deal expired in 2020.

They had hoped to secure a loan for the rising star who has found first-team opportunities limited at Anfield. However, Bajcetic is set to join Red Bull Salzburg instead, with plans to travel to Austria on Thursday to finalise a season-long loan move.

This transfer window has seen numerous young talents depart from Liverpool, yet the club has not announced any new signings bar Giorgi Mamardashvili who will only join next summer.

Despite this, manager Arne Slot stands by Liverpool’s strategy, acknowledging the need for these players to gain playing time elsewhere.”That’s always a difficult one because young players want to play as well and if they want to develop they have to play. It’s always like this. They come through the ranks of the youth academy,” Slot explained.

“Either then you’re good enough to play for us many minutes or you’re still not there, or there’s too much competition in your position. I think still this team, with what we have, have a lot of homegrown players.”

“This club will always bring big good youngsters. You always want to take care of your own interest but you also have a responsibility towards the players and if they want to play somewhere and it is not possible with us, then you have to, in my opinion, let them develop somewhere else.”