Arsenal and Aston Villa know they could cut out the negotiating middle man for many of their targets, who happen to come with tempting release clauses.
This is an inexhaustive list of players with release clauses which could actually viably be triggered from summer 2025 onwards. We are talking sub-£100m, not your daft £1bn La Liga jobs.
Goalkeepers with tempting release clauses
Aaron Ramsdale
After suffering his third Premier League relegation in six seasons, all at different clubs and with a spell at Arsenal in between, England international Ramsdale can thank the £25m clause he inserted into his contract for the fact he’ll probably be back in the top flight soon enough.
But Leeds, West Ham and a handful of others are yet to act on their interest, perhaps because of his wage demands and obvious curse.
Vanja Milinkovic-Savic
If Chelsea or Manchester City act on their apparent £ 16.7m interest in the Torino keeper and brother of Sergej then expect every other Ruben Amorim press conference to be spent explaining why no-one currently at Manchester United should really be blamed for releasing a teenager who couldn’t get a work permit in 2015.
He is 6ft 8ins so that’s something. But also it sounds like he’s off to Napoli.
Defenders with tempting release clauses
Edmond Tapsoba
Newcastle are said to have offered £50m for Bayer Leverkusen defender Tapsoba; it is unknown whether or not they realise it might take as much as £80m.
Pokeba Castel
An eclectic cast of Liverpool, Spurs and Bayern Munich have been mentioned in discussions over Lukeba’s future, with a suggestion that Leipzig might not necessarily hold out for the French centre-half’s entire £77.8m release clause.
Ousmane Diomande
Crystal Palace have already identified their replacement for Marc Guehi, whether the captain leaves this summer or not. And they will not be paying £69.1m for the Sporting centre-half either.
Miguel Gutierrez
A whole host of clubs like the look of Girona left-back Gutierrez at £ 30.2m – he was once described as a ‘priority signing’ for Liverpool and Manchester United are known to be lurking – but any hopeful negotiators will have to deal with about 427 clauses Real Madrid still hold over him.
Jawi Lucia
Aston Villa and Bournemouth are sniffing around Bologna defender Lucumi, with Roma also contemplating a move for the 26-year-old who will only come as cheap as £ 23.9m until July 10.
Inzo boyomo
Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are known admirers of Osasuna centre-half Boyomo, who has been crucial for a side he only joined a year ago.
Boyomo stayed at Real Valladolid for just one campaign too before moving to Pamplona; whoever triggers his £ 21m release clause might expect to keep him for a little longer.
Kevin Lomonaco
“I really like the Premier League. It’s what I watch the most. I like West Ham,” should raise an absurd number of red flags within the departments of any and all clubs charged with scrutinising the character and even sanity of 23-year-old Lomonaco.
The centre-half has attracted interest from the Hammers, Crystal Palace, Sevilla and Wolfsburg in his £ 16.7m release clause.
Jan Bednarek
Any club desperate to sign a centre-half with two recent relegations on his CV can do so for the cheap old price of £ 6m.
Midfielders with tempting release clauses
Martin Zubimendi
It is practically certain that Arsenal have wrapped up a £50.1m deal for Zubimendi early and avoided all those awkward Didn’t Want Him Anyway hoops Liverpool forced themselves to jump through last summer. But they could start bottling transfers instead of just titles to put the Real Sociedad lifer back on the market.
Rear seat
Crystal Palace averted the potential crisis of having both Eze and Michael Olise’s release clauses triggered in the same summer but the fine print in the former’s deal will be reactivated in the summer. There will be no shortage of potential suitors at £68m.
Nico Williams
Andrea Berta might have taken up the easiest post in world football considering Arsenal are pursuing yet another player whose valuation is certain.
The sporting director just needs to fill in the gaps of persuading Williams that a £ 48.4m move to north London is in his best interests, but more pertinently to convince the club’s hierarchy that the finances involved are worth it.
By all accounts it is a battle he has conceded, leaving Barcelona to agree personal terms before overcoming the obstacle of working out how they are actually going to pay for him.
Wilfred patient
There is unlikely to be a massive rush to bring in Ndidi after his second relegation in three year with Leicester, but the 28-year-old is on the radar of Crystal Palace, Everton and Fulham for £ 9m and it does feel as though a more stable environment would benefit him.
Forwards with tempting release clauses
Viktor
Another Arsenal target – to the chagrin of many supporters – but really any aspiring team in world football will have at least taken a look at Gyokeres before wincing ever so slightly at that £86m release clause.
Sporting might not hold out for that much but are among the best sellers across the globe and will back themselves to get the best possible deal.
Mohammed Kudus
After this season especially, it feels unlikely that any club will meet the £85m release clause written into the West Ham contract of Kudus. It is even higher for Saudi Arabian clubs, who do indeed have their limits.
As it is, the Hammers are desperate enough for cash that the asking price might come down a good £25m or so.
Victor Osimhen
A record of 28 goals and five assists in 32 games for Galatasaray can be disregarded through the Turkish Super Lig rule of transfers but his age, affordability (£ 62.5m) relative to other strikers on the market and undoubted pedigree in Serie A cannot. Osimhen should be top of the Manchester United shopping list.
Benjamin Sesko
There is some debate as to the exact numbers which would compel Leipzig to countenance the sale of Sesko – £ 62m is the strongest recent claim – but less doubt about whether his record of 35 goals in 79 appearances in Germany is worth the risk on a 21-year-old.
Moise Kean
Everton might not get involved but after scoring 23 goals in 42 games this season, Kean could repay the faith shown in him by Fiorentina with another big move. For two weeks from the start of July the Manchester United target is available for as little as £ 45m.
Thierno Barry
An option for Everton in their brave new era under David Moyes, it will be interesting to see if the Toffees can find the requisite 34m to bring 22-year-old centre-forward Barry in from Villarreal, for whom he has scored 11 goals in 37 games.
Managers with tempting release clauses
Andoni Iraola
Bournemouth quietly fell off towards the end of the season to bring their dream of European qualification combined with FA Cup glory crashing back down to reality. But they will not waver in their determination to extend Iraola’s contract – and perhaps even remove that £10m release clause. Spurs have at least removed themselves from the equation.
