A clause inserted in Liverpool’s deal to sell Dominic Solanke to Bournemouth in 2019 could see the club land almost £10 million if he joins suitors Tottenham.
Solanke is widely reported as a target for Tottenham, with Ange Postecoglou telling football.london he would prefer an “out and out No. 9” who “fits the mould” physically and technically.
According to The Athletic, there is a £65 million release clause in the striker’s contract that “can only be activated by certain clubs.”
Though those clubs remain unnamed, it stands to reason that those would be England’s elite sides – which is likely to include Tottenham as one of the established ‘big six’.
When Liverpool sold Solanke to Bournemouth five-and-a-half years ago, they agreed a sell-on clause which would entitle them to 20 percent of any future profit.
And having received around £19 million from their initial deal with Bournemouth, if any club were to activate his release clause this summer they would receive a fifth of the remaining £46 million.
So if Tottenham did resolve to pay the £65 million to sign Solanke, Liverpool would be owed £9.2 million of that profit.
It would be one of the most lucrative sell-on fees in football history, though there are suggestions that Chelsea earned as much as £18 million upon Tino Livramento’s move from Southampton to Newcastle last summer.
Highest sell-on fees in English football
- 5. John Stones (Everton to Man City) – £7.1m to Barnsley
- 4. Michael Keane (Burnley to Everton) – £7.5m to Man United
- 3. Raheem Sterling (Liverpool to Man City) – £7.8m to QPR
- 2. Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg to Man City) – £10m to Chelsea
- 1. Tino Livramento (Southampton to Newcastle) – £18m to Chelsea
Source: Mail
Liverpool have already banked £4.8 million combined from two other moves for former players this transfer window.
Luis Alberto’s switch from Lazio to Qatari side Al-Duhail SC earned them £2.5 million, while Kamil Grabara completed his move from Copenhagen to Wolfsburg with the Reds earning a £2.3 million cut of the fee.
Tottenham are considering Solanke along with Lille’s Jonathan David and Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, with the former Liverpool striker the most convincing candidate.
It was notable, then, that the 26-year-old was left out of the squad as Bournemouth beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in their latest pre-season friendly on Sunday.
But speaking to Sky Sports, manager Andoni Iraola insisted that his absence – instead watching from the stands – came due to a minor injury and was not linked to any interest.
However, that has not quelled speculation, and Liverpool stand to gain a considerable windfall if Solanke does move clubs this summer.
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