Barcelona have inserted release clauses totalling €1billion (£860million) into the contracts of new signings Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie – two deals that have been in place since March.
Both players have arrived at the Camp Nou as free agents following the expiration of their deals at Chelsea and AC Milan respectively, with each having a €500million (£430million) release clause inserted into their fresh terms. It is a mechanism prompted by Spanish football authorities for such clauses to be inserted into player contracts.
The most high-profile example of a release clause becoming influential was when Barca were forced into allowing Neymar to leave in 2017 for a world-record transfer fee of €222million (£198million). That clause had been set in the Brazilian’s contract and it was viewed as being prohibitive to any move, yet Paris Saint-Germain stumping up the cash left the Catalan club powerless.
The forward’s move to the French capital has not exactly been a roaring success. PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi recently cast doubt upon the Brazilian’s future at the club by claiming that they are ‘no longer counting’ on him.
Neymar’s long-term PSG attacking partner Kylian Mbappe opted to sign a three-year contract extension with the Ligue 1 champions last month, keeping him in the French capital until 2025, while Lionel Messi ’s high-profile summer transfer from Barca last summer further reduced the status of Neymar at the club.
Yet the hurt of his exit from Barca still lingers at the Camp Nou, with the release clauses inserted into the contracts of new signings designed for no club to ever be able to afford – meaning that the Catalan giants can dictate their futures whilst under contract.
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Christensen's move to the Blaugrana ends his 10-year stay at Chelsea, where he won the FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League, Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. He may yet be joined at Barca this summer by former Blues teammates Marcos Alonso, who has also been linked.
The Denmark defender’s arrival at Barca was made official on Monday, hours after the club also verified the signing of midfielder Kessie, whose five years at Milan are over. The Ivorian played a key role in helping the Rossoneri to their first league title in 11 years last campaign.
Kessie’s arrival will bolster Barca’s midfield options ahead of the likely exit of Frenkie de Jong, who has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United. Pedri, Gavi, Sergio Busquets and Nico Gonzalez are other options in that position for Xavi Hernandez’s side.
