Liverpool put unusual Arsenal exit clause in Firmino deal – report

Roberto Firmino: Changed his game

Liverpool reportedly took an unusual approach with the contract Robert Firmino signed with them when joining from Hoffenheim – by insisting on removing a release clause in the deal if the club chasing him is Arsenal.

According to the latest Football Leaks release, the Brazilian has an £82million release clause in his contract at Anfield which can be activated by any club in the world – other than the Gunners.

Fancy watching a Premier League game at Anfield with a pre-match buffet? 

The unusual stipulation is thought to have been included by Reds, who have still not forgiven Arsenal for bidding £40,000,001 for then-striker Luis Suarez in 2013. The Gunners made the bid for the Uruguayan believing it would trigger his release at Liverpool.

The player would eventually sign, of course, for Barcelona for £65million in 2014 – but the saga with Arsenal seems to have left a bitter taste in the mouth of Liverpool, whose owner John W Henry tweeted at the time: “What do you think they’re smoking over there at the Emirates?”

The disclosure regarding his contract comes as part of the latest series of releases by Football Leaks, who also have posted some interesting revelations in the past about Anthony Martial’s move to Man Utd, Suarez’s move to Barca, the fee Man City paid Swansea for Wilfried Bony and Radamel Falcao’s loan to Chelsea.

Firmino has grown to become a key player for Jurgen Klopp at Anfield since signing for the club from Hoffenheim in a £29million deal in the summer of 2015, often being fielded as the focal point in the Reds attack.

And club icon Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports on Monday night: “Roberto Firmino is as good as anyone in the Premier League at winning the ball back and closing people down,” he told Sky Sports .

“He is a massive part of this Liverpool team.”