Barcelona have shelled out £46.3million to sign Ferran Torres from Manchester City on Tuesday. And the Catalan giants will pay another £8.5m in add-ons. The talented forward departs the Premier League after just 18 months with the Citizens.
Barcelona have signed Spain international Ferran Torres from Manchester City (Image: GETTY)
Pedri | Barcelona | £842m
Pedri was another player to put pen-to-paper on a new deal in Spain as the Catalans look to keep their best players at the club despite their financial woes.
The 19-year-old signed until 2026 just days before Ronald Koeman was given his marching orders in the autumn.
His latest contract also includes a €1bn buyout clause, which will inevitably put even the richest clubs off attempting to sign him.
Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | £842m
Karim Benzema signed on the dotted line in August to commit his future to Real Madrid until 2023.
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And Real inserted a €1bn buyout figure into his contract, despite the France international being 33 years old when he agreed the new terms.
But Benzema’s buyout clause makes perfect sense considering the form he has displayed this season.
The forward has already scored 20 goals in 23 games and looks every bit as threatening as he always has.
David Alaba | Real Madrid | £832m
Spain’s two biggest clubs dominate the enormous buyout clauses, with Madrid inserting an extraordinary £832m clause into David Alaba’s contract.
The Austrian defender joined Real from Bayern Munich in the summer and has become an instrumental figure at the Bernabeu.
Alaba, who signed a five-year deal in Madrid, is the only defender to make the top 10 when it comes to the highest buyout clauses.
Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has a €1billion buyout clause in his contract (Image: GETTY)
Kevin de Bruyne | Manchester City | £213m
The top Premier League clubs seem to be lagging behind when it comes to buyout clauses, with Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne having the highest one in England.
The Citizens inserted a £213m clause into the Belgium midfielder’s contract when he put pen-to-paper on a new deal in the spring.
De Bruyne signed a two-year extension in May and is set to stay at the Etihad Stadium until at least 2025.
Meanwhile, French clubs aren’t legally allowed to insert buyout clauses, meaning PSG are at risk of losing some of their superstar players for less than they would like to in the future.