TODAY TOP TRANSFER: FSG placed £83,000,000 ‘anti-Arsenal’ clause into Liverpool star’s contract after bitter transfer saga

FSG placed £83,000,000 ‘anti-Arsenal’ clause into Liverpool star’s contract after bitter transfer saga
Liverpool were outraged after Arsenal attempted to sign their star player

Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group once put a bizarre anti-Arsenal clause into the contract of one of their biggest stars for one specific reason.

On Tuesday, Arsenal shocked the footballing world after reportedly completing the surprise signing of long-term Liverpool midfield target Martin Zubimendi.

It’s not the first time that the two clubs have battled over the signing of a massive player, with several transfer sagas involving both sides turning into a bitter feud.

However, there is one transfer battle that stands out amongst the others as the one that caused the most bad-blood, after it led to Liverpool including an anti-Arsenal clause in the contract of one of their stars.

In 2013, Arsenal submitted a then club-record bid of £40million plus £1 for Liverpool star forward Luis Suarez, hoping to establish their clear intention to sign the striker.

Infuriated by the price, Liverpool immediately declined the bid, with owner John W. Henry reacting to the offer with a now infamous social media post, writing: “What do you think they’re smoking over there at the Emirates?”

Arsenal’s decision to bid such a specific amount was due to a clause included in Suarez’s contract which stated that Liverpool must inform the goalscorer of a club’s interest once they received a bid of more than £40m.

Therefore, FSG made sure that they would never make a similar mistake when it came to Arsenal and so decided to include a specific ‘anti-Arsenal’ clause in the contract of club legend Roberto Firmino when he joined in July 2015.

Roberto Firmino is widely regarded as a club legend at Liverpool. (Image: Getty)
Roberto Firmino is widely regarded as a club legend at Liverpool. (Image: Getty)
The Brazilian came to Liverpool from Bundesliga club Hoffenheim for a reported fee of £21.3m, signing a five-year deal that included a £83 million release clause that could be triggered by any club, EXCEPT Arsenal.
Instead, if Arsenal ever wanted to bring Firmino to the club, they would have to negotiate a transfer fee with Liverpool directly and, given the success Firmino enjoyed at Anfield, it’s almost certain this would have been significantly more than the £83 release clause.

Firmino scored 111 goals and registered 75 assists in 362 appearances for Liverpool, winning seven trophies including the Premier League,

Liverpool confirm first January transfer as official statement released by club
An official statement has been released by Liverpool.

Premier League leaders Liverpool have confirmed their first transfer of the January window.

Although it has been reported that Liverpool are set for a quiet transfer window, several players have been linked with a move away from Anfield.

The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah are the talks of the town as they enter the final few months of their contracts.

Meanwhile, the Reds have reportedly named their price for struggling striker Darwin Nunez, who has failed to nail down a regular spot in Arne Slot’s starting XI.

On Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours after their dismal draw against Manchester United, Liverpool have announced that goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga has agreed on a permanent move away.

A club statement read: “Goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga has agreed a permanent transfer from Liverpool to former club Fluminense, subject to international clearance.

“The Brazilian is set to bid farewell to the Reds after a spell of more than four years, in which he was named in the senior matchday squad on seven occasions.”

It continued: “During his time with the club, Pitaluga also represented Macclesfield FC, St Patrick’s Athletic and, most recently, Livingston on loan.

“He will now return to Fluminense in his home country, the team with whom he began his career before joining Liverpool. Everyone at LFC wishes Marcelo the best of luck for the

The 22-year-old joined Liverpool back in 2020 for a reported fee of £2 million.

Under Jurgen Klopp, Pitaluga made his first-team debut during a pre-season friendly against German outfit Greuther Furth, which ended in an entertaining 4-4 draw.

Pitaluga was then sent out to Macclesfield on loan, during which he impressed as he made a total of 26 appearances across all competitions.

Since then, the Brazilian has been loaned out to St Patrick’s Athletic and Livingston before agreeing on a move back to his home country.

Pitaluga failed to make a competitive first-team appearance for Liverpool during his stay at Anfield.

Liverpool issue official response to Real Madrid over Trent Alexander-Arnold as out-of-contract star’s future takes new twist

Liverpool have rejected an approach from Real Madrid to sign right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, according to reports.

Alexander-Arnold, 26, has been the subject of interest from Madrid for some time. The academy graduate’s contract is set to expire in June 2025, and he will be able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club when the transfer window opens on January 1, 2025.

The England international has been fairly tight-lipped regarding his future, but now an update has finally emerged.

According to The Times’ Paul Joyce, Madrid “made contact” with Liverpool, but their interest in the player was “immediately rebuffed” by the Premier League club on Tuesday (December 31).

The report also suggests that Liverpool and Alexander-Arnold’s representatives have been in talks regarding a new deal for several months.

The Times claim that the conversation between Madrid and Liverpool did not reach the point at which numbers could be mentioned, with the Reds appearing to offer the La Liga outfit “little encouragement”.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is attracting the interest of Real Madrid (Credit:Getty)
Trent Alexander-Arnold is attracting the interest of Real Madrid (Credit:Getty)
Of course, last Saturday, Spanish outlet Marca reported that the player had ‘made a decision’ with regards to his future. The publication explained how Alexander-Arnold had ‘told Liverpool directors’ that he wants to play for Real Madrid

Since then, the England defender featured in Liverpool’s 5-0 win against West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday. And despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, he scored his side’s fourth of the game against the Hammers and employed an interesting celebration, when he raised his hand and made a talking gesture.

Fans even had a theory that this related to his England teammate and Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham, who used the celebration after scoring in the Three Lions’ 1-0 win against Serbia at Euro 2024 last summer, but this could have been entirely coincidental.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has been relatively blunt when answering questions on Alexander-Arnold’s future. When pressed on his thoughts about Trent’s celebration he claimed that the right-back was “playing really well”.

“No, I don’t think it [the celebration]’s negative at all,” said Slot after Liverpool’s win on Sunday.

“He’s playing really well, scored a great goal and the way he celebrated his goal probably tells you enough. I don’t think I have to say much more about it.

“I’m really happy with Trent, just as happy as I am with Mo [Salah] and with Virgil [van Dijk]. So for me, there’s no difference. For the outside world, maybe there’s a bit more things happening around Trent in the media than with the other two but I’m happy with all three of them at the moment.”

Alexander-Arnold is part of a trio, including Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, whose contracts are set to expire in June 2025.