Michael Owen reveals secret Liverpool clause behind Newcastle move

Updated: 19 Oct, 2025 • 0 • min read

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Michael Owen reveals secret Liverpool clause behind Newcastle move

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Michael Owen has admitted he only joined Newcastle United because of a secret contract clause designed to take him back to Liverpool.

The former Ballon d'Or winner left Anfield for Real Madrid in 2004, but after just one season in Spain, he was desperate to return to Merseyside.

However, Liverpool - fresh from their Champions League triumph in Istanbul - refused to match Newcastle's £16.8 million offer, forcing Owen into a move he never truly wanted.

'I Only Signed for Newcastle to Get Back to Liverpool'

Speaking to Mashable India, Owen confessed:

The president of Real Madrid said, "You can't go to Liverpool because Newcastle have offered double the money. If Liverpool offer the same, you can go."

But Liverpool were never going to do that. So I had a choice, stay at Madrid or go to Newcastle.

The only reason I signed [for Newcastle] was so I could put in a clause that said after one year, I could go to Liverpool.

That's all I wanted to do, play for one team in the world.

The Return That Never Happened

The fairytale return, though, never came.

Owen stayed four years at St James' Park, before making a shock switch to Manchester United in 2009 - a move that angered many Liverpool supporters.

Nobody needs to know that. Nobody does know it. Nobody cares to know it.

But they do care to say, "Oh, you played for Liverpool, then you played for Manchester United, you must have no loyalty."

The former England star insists he made repeated attempts to rejoin Liverpool and even phoned successive managers to plead for a return.

I was on the phone to Brendan Rodgers, every single year I was on the phone to the Liverpool manager.

It's Liverpool that didn't want me back. [Luis] Suárez was there, [Fernando] Torres was there and that's absolutely fine. That's football.

But I was saying, "Please take me, please take me." Every single year.

Despite the missed reunion, Owen remains one of Liverpool's greatest academy products, scoring 158 goals in 297 appearances.

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