Premier League
Manchester United Lifts Swedish Club with Sign-on Fee
Swedish club, Vasteras SK, was saved from bankruptcy after Manchester United signed national team defender, Victor Lindelof. Even though the Swedish club was not directly involved in the transfer as Lindelof was a player of the Portuguese side, Benfica at the time of the transfer, the trickledown effect to the defender’s former club was very impactful.
The signing of Lindelof was one of the first major transfers that Jose Mourinho has done this summer, coughing out approximately $40 million dollars for the deal.
According to YardBacker, an American publication, quoting The Independent, the money generated saved Vasteras SK, a club in the third tier of Swedish football league.
The club which Lindelof, 22, played for when he was 17 had negotiated a clause that they would receive a portion of any future sale of the player.
The sale of the player by Benfica has come as a lifeline for the Vasterras SK from the brink of bankruptcy.
The sale of Lindelof to Benfica initially gave Vasteras money in three tranches of €100,000 – first a transfer fee, then another when he played his third under-21 match for Sweden. The third was when he had played 10 senior games for the Portuguese team.
The sale of Lindelof to Benfica initially gave Vasteras money in three tranches of €100,000 – first a transfer fee, then another when he played his third under-21 match for Sweden. The third was when he had played 10 senior games for the Portuguese team.
But the real value for Vasteras was a clause that would give them 20 percent of any future transfer fee and with Lindelof catching the eye of big European clubs, Benfica sought to renegotiate.
Had the original contract stood they would have received seven million of the €35 million United paid Benfica for the 22-year-old, but even though they had to settle for less, the club were still happy.
Add-on fees are pretty common in the world of football transfers, especially for teams and players that might be farther down the world soccer food chain. If you’re a selling club (think everyone outside of the regular Champions League participants), it ensures a future line of funds from players that can develop and then move on to a more prestigious club.
It’s a way for the original club to cash in a second time on a player’s value. Even though Benfica is one of the biggest clubs in Portugal and a regular Champions League participant, it’s a huge step up in funds to Manchester United.
With Lindelof being signed for such a small fee originally, Benfica probably thought at the time that the Swedish defender’s next sale wouldn’t be for such a significant price, which is why they were so desperate to go back to the negotiating table.
With add-ons, the buying club has to give up some of its future profit, but it’s a way to reduce the initial cost. There of course is some risk as in Lindelof’s case; it can provide the original club with a much bigger payday than agreeing to a transfer fee that comes up-front. For a third-division team in Sweden, any chunk of change from a $40 million sale can be a life-changer.
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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