Liverpool banned from signing academy players

Liverpool have been banned from signing academy players for two years and handed a £100,000 fine for a rule breach.

The punishment relates to when the club approached a 12-year-old academy player at Stoke City in September last year.

The two year ban stops Liverpool from signing any academy players who have been registered with a Premier League or EFL club within the last 18 months.

Liverpool made an application to register the Stoke City Academy player and compensation was agreed in September 2016. However, the application was rejected by the Premier League Board.

The Premier League launched an investigation and found Liverpool had spoken to the youngster and his family before they were allowed to as well as paying for him and some of his family to attend a match at Anfield.

In addition, Liverpool offered to pay the player's school fees, which were being paid by Stoke, however, this breached a new regulation which state a benefit can only be offered if it is applicable to all youngsters across the club's academy and the Premier League found that this wasn't the case.

Liverpool have admitted that they breached the rules.

JC