What players have buyback clauses in their contracts?
Suraj Radia
- 29 Jun 2022 11:35 CDT
- 4 min read
Buy-back clauses have become more and more popular in the modern game due to the flexibility of offering players a permanent home while also allowing clubs to retain an option of keeping their departing talents.
The deals have been prominent in European football for a number of years however Premier League clubs have only recently started taking advantage of them.
Clauses tend to become active after a certain period of time, meaning clubs can observe players’ progression before choosing whether to purchase them for a pre-approved fee down the line.
With big clubs now more willing to sell their hot prospects knowing they can benefit in the future, FootballTransfers takes a look at some of the most high-profile players with buy-back clauses in their contracts.
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Tammy Abraham (Chelsea)
Tammy Abraham was a favourite at Chelsea but failed to convince Thomas Tuchel of his pedigree as a starter and joined AS Roma for £34m.
The 24-year-old has become a fan favourite in Rome under Jose Mourinho, scoring 27 goals in his debut season as they won the Europa Conference League.
Chelsea have a buy-back clause of around €80m in the deal which kicks in next summer, though Abraham has to agree to the move and the forward has yet to show any desire of leaving Italy.
Sergio Reguilon (Real Madrid)
Tottenham secured the signing of left-back Sergio Reguilon from Real Madrid in 2020 for a fee of €30 million, a move which was only possible due to the Spanish side inserting a €40m buy-back clause.
Real were reluctant to lose Reguilon after he was voted as the best left-back in La Liga following a loan spell with Sevilla in 2019/20 but agreed to the deal as they could not offer him first team football.
After an impressive start to his career with Spurs, Reguilon has fallen out of favour under Antonio Conte and has been linked with moves to Betis and Barcelona, with Real not looking to take up their buy-back option.
Tino Livramento (Chelsea)
Tino Livramento was highly regarded at Chelsea but was sold to Southampton for £5m last summer after turning down a new contract with the Blues.
The 19-year-old was reluctant to commit his future to Chelsea as he wanted first-team football and opted to join the Saints, where he has established himself as a starter at right-back.
Chelsea have a buy-back clause which is set to become active in 2023 and is rumoured to be between £25m and £40m due to them also having a sell-on clause on any profit Southampton make.
Marc Guehi (Chelsea)
Marc Guehi was another academy graduate who left Chelsea last summer in search of first-team football and the defender eventually joined Crystal Palace for a fee of £18m.
However, the Blues are not thought to have a buy-back clause for Guehi but instead will be able to match any offer Palace deem acceptable for him from next summer.
Guehi has impressed at centre-back for Patrick Vieira’s side and made his debut for England earlier this year, meaning Chelsea may face competition should Palace choose to cash in on his progression.
Gavin Bazunu (Manchester City)
Irish goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu moved to Southampton this summer for around £15m but Manchester City were only interested in selling the 20-year-old if they could have a buy-back clause.
Bazunu has ten caps for his country and spent last season on loan at Portsmouth in League One, where he was voted their player of the year.
City valued Bazunu highly but he is likely to be Southampton’s first-choice keeper and would continue to develop there, unlike at the Etihad where he would be behind Ederson in the pecking order.
