Liverpool & Barcelona agreed extraordinary transfer ban after Philippe Coutinho sale

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Barcelona are reportedly unable to sign Liverpool players for the next two years due to an agreement in place between the two clubs.

The understanding dates back to Philippe Coutinho’s £142m switch to the Camp Nou in January following a long-running transfer saga.

Coutinho’s departure followed on from Luis Suarez’s move to the Catalan giants in 2014 in marking the loss of yet another Reds talisman.

Radio Station Cadena Ser, per AS, reports that Liverpool included a clause in the Brazilian’s deal denying Barcelona the ability to sign any more of their players for the next three years. With one season having effectively passed, the Spanish club must wait a further two years before thinking about raiding Jurgen Klopp’s side again.

Philippe Coutinho – image by Liverpoolfc.com

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Liverpool were admirably reluctant to sanction Coutinho’s exit last summer as they fought to keep him for at least the first half of the season.

This saw the Reds’ brass block the playmaker from leaving the club after he had handed in a transfer request a day before the Premier League opener against Watford.

He was finally granted his move following the turn of the year, with Klopp publicly explaining he had done everything possible to try and convince the little magician to stay put.

News of the secret agreement between the two clubs now somewhat rubbishes tenuous rumours linking Barcelona to the likes of Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino. The latter in particular has often been tipped as a suitable long-term replacement for Suarez.

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