It’s been a strangely quiet transfer window for Liverpool — the lack of signings is well-publicized, but the Reds are also yet to make a senior sale. However, its first major windfall of the summer looks to have arrived, with Tottenham sealing a move for Dominic Solanke that has triggered a sell-on clause.
That means Michael Edwards gets to enjoy the fruits of his labor. The clause was inserted under his watch before he left his post as sporting director in 2022, but he has since returned to the FSG fold, with oversight over the club’s business.
The injection of funds could be timely, too. There’s no indication that Liverpool’s lack of activity has been down to budget constraints, but the pursuit of Martin Zubimendi may yet require a single lump payment to trigger his buyout clause
But just how much is Liverpool set to make from Solanke’s move to Spurs? The exact final sum will depend on the completion of add-ons within the deal, but we can work out the initial figure.
When Solanke went from Liverpool to Bournemouth in 2019, Edwards negotiated a clause that entitled Liverpool to 20 per cent of the profit on any future sale. That deal was worth $24m (£19m/€22m) — and after his time at Anfield, few would have expected this stipulation to be a money-spinner in the future.
But the only person who deserves more credit than Edwards is Solanke himself. He has taken the long path back to the top, but has slowly built an impressive reputation at Bournemouth, finishing as the joint fourth-highest scorer in the Premier League last season (one ahead of Mohamed Salah).
That’s convinced Spurs to spend big. In a record purchase, they will pay an initial $70m (£55m/€64m) to Bournemouth, with a further $13m (£10m/€12m) in potential add-ons (BBC).
The initial fee represents a $46m profit for Bournemouth on the price it paid Liverpool back in 2019. As such, the Reds are entitled to 20 per cent of that, which equates to $9.2m (£7.2m/€8.4m).
With add-ons, Liverpool stands to make a further $2.6m (£2m/€2.4m), leaving the final potential figure at $11.8m (£9.2m/€10.8m). That’s a very useful sum.
While it won’t be a total game-changer in the transfer market, it’s the equivalent of a particularly lucrative sale from the youth ranks (it’s slightly more than Liverpool made on Taiwo Awoniyi or Ryan Kent, for instance). For a player who left Anfield five years ago, it’s a massive bonus.
It also makes the overall Solanke deal look even more incredible for Liverpool. The initial fee it received from Bournemouth looked impressive after the striker struggled to make a mark with the Reds, but the full package could now rise to as much as $35.8m.
For a player picked up for a compensation fee from Chelsea, that’s amazing work. If nothing else, it’s a reminder that whatever the plan is for the rest of the summer, Edwards has earned fans’ trust and patience.
Liverpool.com says: Best of luck to Solanke at Spurs. He’s done really well for himself — and while the sell-on clause might have been speculative, Liverpool always knew that he had potential, even if he was at Anfield at the wrong time in his career.
This is a case in point on why you include such clauses. Liverpool will need to bear than in mind this summer in the event the likes of Sepp van den Berg or Caoimhin Kelleher move on.
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