DEAL OR NO DEAL
Biggest buyout fees in football after Barcelona insert €1BILLION clause into Ferran Torres’ five-year contract
FERRAN TORRES joined Barcelona in January and the club included a staggering €1BILLION release clause in his contract.
The Spanish giants inserted the huge £847million buyout fee after agreeing to buy the Spain international from Manchester City for a fraction of that sum - a comparatively small £55million.
The move comes months after they did the same with teenage star Pedri, when he signed a new deal.
Not only did Pedri put pen to paper on a five-year deal, he will now only be available for purchase for a staggering £847million.
Barcelona learned the hard way that it's always best to exaggerate the release fee.
After all, Paris Saint-Germain matched Neymar's £198m release clause and landed the Brazilian in 2017.
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So perhaps it's no surprise the cash-strapped LaLiga giants have since learned their lesson.
Barca and fierce rivals Real Madrid dominate the list of the highest release clauses in world football.
FERRAN TORRES - £847m
Man City agreed to sell Ferran Torres to Barcelona for £55m in December.
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And the first thing the Spanish side did was insert a buyout clause of one billion euros.
City believe they have struck a great deal for the 22-year-old who cost them just £20.8 million when he arrived from Valencia in summer 2020.
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PEDRI - £847m
Barcelona confirmed 19-year-old Pedri agreed a new deal in October, and inserted the crazy price tag
In a statement the club confirmed: "Barcelona and the player, Pedro González 'Pedri', have agreed a contract extension up to 30 June 2026.
"The release clause is set at one billion euro.";
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KARIM BENZEMA - £847m
The Frenchman has been a part of the furniture at Real Madrid following his move from Lyon in 2009.
Benzema, 34, continues to defy his age by performing to an absolutely elite level.
The veteran boasted the highest release clause in world football with a staggering £846.7m and has now been matched by Pedri.
He still has just under two years left on his deal at the Bernabeu and it is safe to say he won't be leaving before then.
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ANTOINE GRIEZMANN - £678m
In 2019, Barcelona splashed a staggering £107.6m to bring Griezmann to the Nou Camp from Atletico Madrid.
Barca handed the France star a £725,000-a-week contract, adding a £677.2m release clause in the deal.
However, Griezmann thoroughly underwhelmed at the club.
And while he is still technically on the club's books, he is currently on loan back at Atleti, with his contract not expiring until the end of the 2023-24 season.
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FEDERICO VALVERDE - £635m
The Uruguayan star, 23, signed from Penarol in 2016 and quickly burst onto the scene with Real Madrid Castilla - the club's 'B' team.
Since making his league debut in 2018, following a loan stint at Deportivo La Coruna, Valverde has become a key man in the Los Blancos' midfield.
In 2019, Valverde was handed a bumper new five-year deal, including the staggering £634.9m release fee - one clubs will likely never match.
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LUKA MODRIC - £635m
The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner - and team-mate of Valverde - also has a £634.9m release clause in his contract at Real Madrid.
At the age of 36, the Croatian is now enjoying the twilight of his career at the Bernabeu.
His contract at the Bernabeu expires next summer... and so will his release clause.
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BRAHIM DIAZ - £635m
The talented 22-year-old may not have had much of a look in at Real Madrid but he'll still cost £634.9m - the same as Modric and Valverde.
Diaz left Man City for Real in 2019 with the Spanish club keen to ensure he doesn't move on anytime soon.
He is currently enjoying the second of THREE years on loan at AC Milan.
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ISCO - £593m
Another Real Madrid star, Isco sits seventh on the list - despite being hotly linked with an exit for the past three seasons.
His £592.5m release clause was added when he penned a lucrative five-year contract in 2017, shortly before he slipped out of the starting XI.
Once touted as a future world star, his career at the Bernabeu has gone stale in recent seasons and could move to the Premier League for a fee closer to £30m.
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VINICIUS JR - £593m
The 21-year-old Brazilian is seen as one of Real Madrid's greatest prospects.
So it is no surprise he has a £592.5m release clause.
Vinicius Jr signed from Flamengo in 2017 and emerged as a key player under Zinedine Zidane - and more-recently Carlo Ancelotti.
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MARCO ASENSIO - £593m
Another Real Madrid player to crack the top ten, Asensio sits level seventh.
The 26-year-old penned a six-year contract in 2017 with Los Blancos adding a £592.5m release clause to ward off Europe's biggest clubs.
Much like team-mate Isco, Asensio looks almost certain to leave the Bernabeu in 2022 after spending much of the season on the bench.
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NICO GONZALEZ - £430m
Barcelona handed youngster Nico Gonzalez a new contract with a staggering release clause worth £430m in May.
Gonzalez, 20, was yet to make a first-team appearance for the Nou Camp when the clause was inserted.
The Spanish whiz has since played 27 times in LaLiga, while also featuring in the Champions League mauling at the hands of Benfica.
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GARETH BALE - £423m
The Welshman's days at Real Madrid may be numbered but he still has a £423m release clause in his contract.
It runs until the end of this season but Los Blancos are keen on letting him leave permanently.
Bale spent last season on loan with Tottenham and played three times under Ancelotti in August but has been frozen out since.
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GERARD PIQUE - £423m
Matching Bale's £423m release clause is Barcelona legend Gerard Pique.
The Spaniard penned an extension to his deal in October until the summer of 2024.
In the summer, Pique agreed to a 50 per cent pay cut owing to the club's financial meltdown.
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But there has been no suggestion his £423m release clause has been removed.
He has played over 500 times for Barca following his return from Manchester United in 2008.
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