Manchester United's rivals, both domestic and overseas, have gone to great lengths to prevent their players from joining the Red Devils over the years
Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho
Liverpool hero Luis Suarez was restricted in which clubs he could join(Image: Getty Images)
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Using interest from a rival club as a way to secure improved terms at their current one is a trick often utilised by footballers. It's something Sergio Ramos once alluded to and Craig Bellamy has confirmed.
Yet beyond talk and rumours, there are genuine examples of careers being shaped by clauses that explicitly block certain moves. Players rarely cross the divide between Manchester United and their fiercest rivals, Liverpool and Manchester City, for example. In fact, no player has moved directly from either Anfield or the Etihad Stadium to Old Trafford during the Premier League era.
That is no coincidence. With passions and tensions running so high between the clubs, players are often unwilling to risk such a controversial switch. In many cases, though, the decision is taken out of their hands altogether.
There have been notable instances of former Liverpool and City players having specific clauses written into their contracts - either outright prohibiting a move to United or placing significant obstacles in the way of one ever materialising. Reds icon Luis Suarez left for Barcelona in 2014, but when the La Liga giants looked to move him on a few years later, a transfer to Old Trafford was taken firmly off the table.
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After selling Neymar to European rivals Paris Saint-Germain in a record-breaking deal in 2017, Barca were determined not to repeat that experience with Suarez. They were believed to have identified PSG and United, along with bitter rivals Real Madrid, as no-go destinations for the Uruguayan.
When the moment came for Suarez to leave Camp Nou, he spoke openly about his anger at the situation. While he later joined Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2020 and won La Liga under Diego Simeone, resentment lingered over his treatment in Catalunya.
Luis Suarez warming up for Barcelona
United weren't allowed to sign Suarez from Barcelona in 2020(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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"What really bothered me was when they told me that I was old and that I could no longer play at a high level, be up to [the task of fronting] a great team. That's what I did not like," Suarez told France Football in 2021.
"If I hadn't done anything at a club like Barca for three or four seasons, I would have understood. But, every year at Barca, I scored more than 20 goals per season. I have always had good statistics, just behind Leo [Messi]."
Brahim Diaz - who found himself in the spotlight earlier this month after spectacularly missing a Panenka penalty in the Africa Cup of Nations final - also had a United-related clause inserted into his contract when he left City for Real Madrid in 2019.
Brahim Diaz in action for Manchester City
City's sell-on clause will jump to 40 per cent if Real Madrid decide to sell Brahim to United(Image: Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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According to ESPN, Madrid's deal, valued at up to £22m including add-ons, contained a 15 per cent sell-on clause. However, if Los Blancos ever choose to offload Brahim to United, that figure will reportedly increase to 40 per cent.
Originally capped once by Spain before later declaring for Morocco, Brahim spent three years on loan at AC Milan without securing a permanent move. He subsequently returned to the Bernabeu, where Carlo Ancelotti reintegrated him into the squad.
He helped the club win the Champions League in 2024 and later stayed involved during Xabi Alonso's short-lived spell as manager.
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