Under the watch of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United have taken a fresh approach and inserted various clauses into numerous outgoing deals.
For example, the recent sale of Will Fish to Cardiff City saw a 30% sell-on clause slotted in.
The 21-year-old departed for a fee of £1 million, with the price potentially rising to £3 million.
Fundamentally, these extras are shrewdly in place should the player be moved on from their new club – acting as an additional financial bonus to appease the Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Who else has a sell-on clause in their deal?
Facundo Pellistri recently joined Greek side Panathinaikos for an initial fee of £5.1 million, with add-ons bringing the total to £6.8m.
Should his new club decide to move the Uruguayan on – Ten Hag’s side will receive a staggering 40-45% of the fee.
Troubled forward Mason Greenwood’s fee rose to £26.7 million in his switch to Olympique Marseille. Comparable to Pellistri, the sell-on clause is between 40-50%.
Although the club has received some scrutiny for the low price tags in several agreements, these extras are a foolproof way to ensure additional funds in the future.
Furthermore, Hannibal Mejbri is on the cusp of sealing his move to Burnley, with an attractive sell-on feature installed – while a similar deal is expected in any finalised transfer for Scott McTominay to Serie A side Napoli.
A Best-in-Class impact
Under Dan Ashworth, the 20-time English champions have consistently reshaped the squad and will remain busy until Deadline Day.
The futures of players like Christian Eriksen, Jadon Sancho and Victor Lindelof are still uncertain, with PSR remaining the primary talking point in Old Trafford.
Upon the arrival of Omar Berrada in the North West, he declared it was unacceptable for underperforming players to remain at the club for more than two years.
Ashworth is reportedly still working on additional departures, representing a refreshing change on the red side of Manchester.
Historically, the club has retained undesired players, ultimately paying the price when attempting to offload.
The example below outlines the discrepancies in fees paid in recent years.
| Player | Purchase price | Sale Price |
| Aaron Wan-Bissaka | €55 million (2019) | €17.6 million (2024) |
| Donny van de Beek | €39 million (2020) | €0.5 million (2024) |
| Facundo Pellistri | €8.65 million (2020) | €6 million (2024) |
Ongoing deals
McTominay’s move to Napoli looks to be in the region of £25.4 million plus extras.
The two clubs have agreed on the fee, and the deal is subject to the player terms agreed with the Italian side.
The Reds insisted on a permanent deal for Hannibal – instead of a loan with an obligation to buy – ensuring payments are received sooner rather than later.
Supporters will be eager to see what the final weeks of the transfer window have in store for Erik ten Hag’s side.
Let us know in the comments or across our socials how you feel about the new-look transfer philosophy at Manchester United.
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