BARCELONA have given new signing Miralem Pjanic a massive £365million release clause ahead of his arrival from Juventus.
With the deal confirmed on Tuesday, the Bosnian playmaker will sit joint-ninth in the club’s release clause ranking.
An initial fee of £55million will be paid to Juventus for Pjanic with £4.5m in add-ons, but Barcelona stand to make a profit with Arthur Melo going in the other way for £65.75m – potentially rising to £75m.
Putting pen to paper on a four-year deal, the 30-year-old has been a high priority for the Camp Nou club as they look to refresh their squad.
Lautaro Martinez is also tipped to arrive in the upcoming window, which could otherwise be dominated by departures.
Yet the Blaugrana have sought to tie down several key stars from the impending sales via chunky release clauses, which SunSport details here.
Miralem Pjanic – £365m
A handful of players are currently on £365m buyouts, not least the outgoing Arthur.
Along with Pjanic, Ousmane Dembele and Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong sit joint-ninth in this regard – and anyone matching that fee would be far surpassing the all-time transfer record.
Pjanic is set to finally complete his move from JuventusCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Samuel Umtiti – £455m
Arsenal and Manchester United fans have spent the last few months hoping their side will sign the French World Cup winner.
Fortunately for them, Barcelona are said to want closer to £60m if Umtiti was to leave this summer.
Francisco Trincao – £455m
Far from a household name, 20-year-old Portuguese forward Trincao is yet to even kick a ball for Barcelona.
Current team Braga were paid just shy of £30m for his services in January with the deal officially going through later this week.
Trincao is about to leave Braga after coming through their academyCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Jordi Alba – £455m
At 31, Spanish left-back Alba is showing no signs of relinquishing his starting spot in the Barcelona line-up.
The club paid just over £10m when signing him from Valencia eight years ago and he last renewed his vows in March 2019.
Gerard Pique – £455m
It is unthinkable that Pique would leave Barcelona anytime soon with the club presidency thought to be in his sights for his post-playing career.
The centre-back, 33, is on a contract to 2022 and has now racked up over 500 games for the Catalans.
Pique is one of the most influential people at the club, on and off the pitchCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Sergio Busquets – £455m
Another long-term servant at the 500 million euro mark is Busquets.
A Barcelona player since 2005, the midfielder known for quietly going about his business in an underrated manner earns a reported £250,000-a-week.
Sergi Roberto – £455m
It may be a surprise to see right-back Roberto on such a high tier of release clause yet it is worth remembering when he last signed a new deal.
In January 2018, Barcelona were reeling off the back of Neymar’s shock exit to Paris Saint-Germain when his £222m buyout was met and the LaLiga giants vowed never to be stung in this way again.
Griezmann, Messi and Sergi Roberto are among the most valued players at BarcelonaCredit: Reuters
Lionel Messi – £640m
Messi’s contract is a subject of much tension in Catalonia with the Argentine set to become a free agent next summer.
Talks are ongoing and it has been said that the 33-year-old can actually leave for free at any time, should he wish. Officially, his release clause is the second biggest in the team.
Antoine Griezmann – £730m
When the French striker landed from Atletico Madrid last summer, Barcelona thought they were getting one of the world’s best forwards.
That may still prove to be the case but his first year at the Camp Nou has hardly been a revelation and a fee of £730m will be needed to avoid any negotiations over his next move.
Griezmann admits Messi barely talks to him at Barcelona
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
