Barcelona has been facing financial issues for years. The club has to decide how to allocate its budget under the La Liga salary cap while reconstructing a competitive squad.
Suddenly, aid is on the way; it comes from a deal Barcelona made years earlier and a clause that has just been triggered, thousands of miles away.
The promise of this financial windfall hinges on West Ham United’s ability to remain in the Premier League.
On the weekend, the London side officially secured their Premier League status, allowing them to stay and not be dropped down to the Championship.
Although this may not initially seem relevant to Barcelona, it has big implications for the club.
As part of the West Ham defender Jean-Clair Todibo’s loan deal last summer, an obligation to buy clause was included – that would only activate if West Ham remained in the Premier League.
On the weekend, West Ham’s Premier League future was assured.
Therefore, West Ham will be required to pay Nice a fee of €42.5 million (£36m/$48m) for the French centre-half, effectively a permanent transfer, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
Here’s the important part for Barcelona: The Blaugrana inserted a 20% sell-on clause when they transferred Todibo to Nice in 2021.
This means Barcelona will receive €8.5 million (£7m/$10m) from the deal, a welcome injection of cash ahead of the summer transfer window.
The 25-year-old defender, once hailed as the next star of Camp Nou, struggled to establish himself before being sold to Nice, but Barcelona conducted its negotiation smartly to ensure it would benefit from Todibo’s future success—and that vision is paying off in spades.
That extra cash could prove very important for Hansi Flick’s plans, as Barcelona will look to strengthen their squad without breaking their financial limitations.
Despite Todibo going in a different direction, it has come full circle, and Barcelona are the surprise beneficiaries.
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