Barcelona's failed attempt to sign Liverpool youngster Stefan Bajcetic will have brought back memories of a transfer masterstroke by Michael Edwards . The Catalans wanted to take the teenager on loan, but he is bound for Red Bull Salzburg instead.
Edwards, who was the sporting director at Liverpool when it sold Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona, is now CEO of football at FSG , Liverpool's owners. He is believed to be keeping a close eye on Anfield affairs.
Barcelona will remember Edwards ' negotiating prowess from its purchase of Coutinho in January 2018. Edwards managed to secure an initial $139m (£105m/€125m) fee for the Brazilian, rising to $188m (£142m/€169m) with various add-ons.
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While Edwards gained a reputation for his recruitment skills, the sale of Coutinho may have been one of his greatest achievements. Not only did he secure a record fee for Liverpool, but he also ensured that Barcelona would not be able to buy any of their top players in the following years.
It is understood that Edwards only agreed to Coutinho's move on the condition that for the next two years, Barcelona would have to pay a $118m (£89m/€106m) premium if they wanted to sign any Liverpool player, reports the Mirror . In effect, that was a 24-month ban on raiding Anfield.
Sure enough, the clause prevented Barcelona from making the kind of signings that had seen it acquire Javier Mascherano, Luis Suarez and Coutinho in quick succession. And while it has long since expired, the pattern has been broken — Liverpool rose to the top of the game with the players bought using the Coutinho money, keeping its core group together, and is now far less susceptible to these raids.
Barcelona's pursuit of Liverpool's promising youngster Bajcetic has come to a halt, despite being free to negotiate after the clause ran out in 2020 (and it's not clear how it would have affected loans anyway). The Catalan giant had its eyes on the Anfield talent, but has missed out as he's set to link up with Pep Lijnders in Salzburg — making it six and a half years since a Red was successfully lured to the Nou Camp.
Bajcetic is expected to head to Austria this Thursday to finalise the season-long move. That's per The Athletic .
This summer has seen a wave of young talents depart from Liverpool, yet the club hasn't made any new signings. However, manager Arne Slot stands by the transfer policy, acknowledging the need for these youngsters to get 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."
Liverpool.com says: A Barcelona move for Bajcetic would have made us a little uneasy. It would have been all too easy to see him having his head turned and wanting to stay.
By contrast, a year in Salzburg where he will be one of the best players is unlikely to blossom into a permanent arrangement. But he's bound to get game time, especially under Lijnders, and can hopefully return as a helpful option for Liverpool and Slot next season.
As for that Edwards clause, it certainly served its purpose. The likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were kept safe from one of the biggest transfer threats, allowing Jurgen Klopp to win the lot.
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