Manchester United will have to surrender a significant portion of the financial windfall they expected from Mason Greenwood's permanent transfer from Marseille to Fenerbahce. The Turkish club has signed the forward on a four-year contract, keeping him until the summer of 2030. The transfer fee is reported to be around £33 million.
United's Sell-On Clause and Profit
United inserted a 40 per cent sell-on clause when they sold Greenwood to Marseille in 2024. This means they stand to pocket approximately £13 million from his move to Turkey. That figure will be welcomed at Old Trafford, especially after the club spent a combined £85 million to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.
However, a significant chunk of that amount will immediately go to Getafe, who are due to receive 20 per cent of Greenwood's latest transfer fee, according to The Athletic.
Background of the Arrangement
The arrangement with Getafe was established during Greenwood's loan move to Spain after his arrest on suspicion of attempted rape, assault, and controlling behaviour in 2022. The case was subsequently dropped, with Greenwood denying all allegations.
Greenwood excelled during his loan period at Getafe, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists in 36 appearances. That prompted Marseille to make their move the following summer. Across the past two seasons, Greenwood has scored 48 times and contributed 17 assists in 81 total appearances for Marseille.
Financial Impact for United
Given that Greenwood is an academy graduate at Old Trafford, both the initial transfer fee received by United and any proceeds from the sell-on clause will be recorded as pure profit under Premier League financial rules. This is a significant boost for the club's financial fair play compliance.
Praise from Former Manager
Greenwood previously earned glowing praise from former Marseille and current Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi. Speaking in December, De Zerbi said: "I see him every day, he has huge potential. I don't see any other players in Europe at the same level. He has the potential to win the Ballon d'Or. It will be up to him to decide whether he wants to do everything he can to fight for it or not."
De Zerbi added: "At the level of the qualities that nature has given him, that his parents have given him, I think he is worthy of the Ballon d'Or. I would like him to be more consistent. I know he needs to press with more intensity, he needs to manage the ball better when the team is in trouble, not lose the ball easily but keep it to allow the team to move up because he has the ability to do it."
