Manchester United have been heavily impacted by their rivals during their pursuit of transfer targets, with clauses in stars' contracts and deals restricting a move to Old Trafford
10:02, 30 Jan 2026
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Manchester United have been impacted by transfer clauses(Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
We're familiar with players exploiting interest from Manchester United to negotiate better contracts at their existing clubs, as Sergio Ramos suggested and Craig Bellamy confirmed. Nevertheless, other players have found their destinies impacted by actual clauses concerning the Premier League giants.
United ranked amongst the Premier League's heaviest spenders during the summer transfer window, splashing out over £200million to bring Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens to Old Trafford.
It's worth noting that none of these four arrived from United's historic rivals, Manchester City or Liverpool - in fact, no player has switched from either of those clubs to United during the Premier League era, with some subsequent transfers even being prevented.
VITORIA GASTEIZ, SPAIN - DECEMBER 14: Brahim Diaz of Real Madrid celebrates the victory after the match during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Deportivo Alaves v Real Madrid at the Estadio de Mendizorroza on December 14, 2025 in Vitoria Gasteiz Spain (Photo by Cesar Ortiz Gonzalez/Soccrates/Getty Images)
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Brahim Diaz had a clause in his transfer regarding joining Manchester United(Image: Soccrates Images, Getty Images)
Brahim Diaz made headlines earlier this month following his penalty miss in the Africa Cup of Nations final. However, back in 2019, his name was linked to an unusual clause included when he departed City for Real Madrid.
Reports from ESPN at the time revealed that Madrid's signing, costing them up to £22m with add-ons, also included a 15% sell-on clause. Should Los Blancos eventually offload Brahim to United, however, that percentage would reportedly jump to 40%.
The single-cap Spain international, who subsequently switched allegiance to Morocco, enjoyed a three-year loan spell at AC Milan but never secured a permanent move to the San Siro. Carlo Ancelotti welcomed him back to the Bernabeu, where he claimed Champions League glory in 2024 and remained in contention under Xabi Alonso until the manager's tenure was cut short.
MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 21: Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on November 21, 2015 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Victor Carretero/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
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Barcelona blocked Luis Suarez from joining Manchester United(Image: Victor Carretero, Real Madrid via Getty Images)
He wasn't alone in departing a Premier League heavyweight for a Spanish powerhouse only to encounter a Man United restriction clause. Luis Suarez made the switch from Liverpool to Barcelona in 2014, but when it was time to leave the Camp Nou, a transfer to Old Trafford was blocked.
Following Neymar's record-breaking 2017 departure to Paris Saint-Germain, Barca were determined to prevent a repeat scenario with Suarez. The club reportedly blacklisted PSG and United, alongside bitter rivals Real Madrid, as forbidden destinations for the Uruguayan forward.
The striker voiced his displeasure when his Camp Nou exit materialised. He eventually signed for Atletico Madrid in summer 2020, winning La Liga under Diego Simeone, fired up by anger over his treatment in Catalunya.
"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 revealed to France Football in 2021.
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"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]."