Manchester United will receive a small sum when Willy Kambwala completes a move away from Villarreal before the transfer deadline. Italian club Como are reportedly in pole position to sign Kambwala, looking set to beat Spanish side Osasuna to his signature.
Sell-on clause details
United will receive a small percentage of the fee Villarreal bank due to a sell-on clause. United sources described the sell-on clause for Kambwala as "sizeable" when he left the club two years ago, but Villarreal are not expected to sell him to Como for a significant fee, which will limit the cut United will receive.
In 2024, Villarreal made an offer of €5.5m plus €6m in add-ons to sign Kambwala from United. The deal included a buy-back option and matching rights for three years, plus the sizeable sell-on clause.
United's clause strategy
United occasionally included clauses in the sales of their players before Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment in the club, but it has become common practice since Ineos gained control of football operations. The Reds now insist on including favourable clauses to pocket money from future transfers involving their former players.
United inserted a "high percentage" sell-on clause and buyback option into the sale of Tyler Fredricson to Lausanne-Sport, while similar clauses were inserted into the sale of Radek Vitek to Middlesbrough. United inserted a buy-back clause into the deal with Boro, along with matching rights and a sell-on clause of up to 35 per cent to profit from any potential future sale.
Ethan Williams was sold to Peterborough last week, which saw United insert a 50 per cent sell-on clause into the deal, a buyback option and matching rights clauses. Ethan Ennis joined Stockport County on a permanent transfer earlier this week. United inserted a 50 per cent sell-on clause into that deal, and they included buyback and matching rights clauses.
