TROUBLED footballer Mason Greenwood has wound up his image rights firm – and landed a windfall of more than £500,000 by closing it.
Greenwood, who set up TSM Sports in 2019, has accepted his public image will never recover from his high-profile arrest by opting to shelve it.
The star – who was dropped by Nike – appointed liquidators on March 1.
A declaration of solvency – which he signed on February 9 – reported the company had £513,287 in the bank and was due a £120 VAT refund.
Paperwork filed at Companies House shows Greenwood, 22, was due £508,863 from the liquidation after paying £4,544 of bills.
The striker – on loan at Spanish club Getafe after being forced out of Man Utd after being arrested in January 2022 – has filed four sets of accounts for the firm. Greenwood and his Dad, Andrew, are directors of the company.
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It banked £400,000 in earnings in the year to March 2020, plus £1 million in profits by 2022 and landing £530,000 last year.
Top players earn extra cash from clubs from the sale of merchandise that bear their name and also from their “nicknames, slogan and signatures, image, likeness, voice, logos, initial, team or squad number”.
Greenwood had attempted rape and assault charges dropped when key witnesses withdrew.
He was dropped by sponsor Nike and a potential return to United was halted amid outrage among female players and high-profile fans including Countdown’s Rachel Riley.
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And a football source told The Sun: “Although the charges have been dropped, Mason is still a controversial player. And it sticks in the craw that he is landing this huge windfall from closing down his image rights firm.
“It also shows he knows his public image will never recover – especially in the UK.
“He is a tarnished brand – and he knows it.”
Another insider said: “Most top players have image rights companies because they can earn a fortune off the pitch from selling merchandise bearing their name and working with big brands.
“But it looks like Mason has accepted that won’t be a revenue stream for him.”
Greenwood’s ‘transfer talks’
By Kealan Hughes
GETAFE are interested in extending Mason Greenwood’s stay at the club, according to reports.
The forward joined on loan from Manchester United last summer and has been a first-team regular.
He has scored seven goals and contributed five assists in 15 LaLiga games, catching the eye of several Spanish clubs.
Greenwood has helped Getafe to 10th place and the club is ready to open transfer talks with United, report The Times.
Getafe want to sign Greenwood on a permanent deal, though they would also be open to a loan move as it could prove more financially viable.
United could be open to letting Greenwood leave although new investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe has not ruled out the possibility of the 22-year-old returning to Erik ten Hag’s squad.
Greenwood’s United contract expires at the end of next season and the club have an option to extend it by a further 12 months.
The Red Devils academy graduate has attracted interest from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid and United could well cash in this summer.
Greenwood has not featured for United since he was suspended after being arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault in January 2022.
All charges were subsequently dropped, with the Red Devils suggesting that he recommences his career away from Old Trafford.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas has dismissed the concerns over Greenwood, suggesting he “does not care” about his past.
He said: “He was not condemned [found guilty] so I do not care. If he was not condemned here, why would we condemn him?
“Maybe the circumstances have made it easier for him to come [to Getafe] but he’s a great player and I have got no other comments to make.
“He’s doing really well at Getafe as a player and I hope he continues to be successful and he continues to stay in Spanish football because that’s always good for us.”
Getafe president Javier Torres last week discussed the possibility of Greenwood staying at the club.
Torres said: “He is very comfortable in Madrid and he’s crazy about the idea of staying another year.
“It’s a question for them [United], they have to decide if he goes back there.
“There is a market for him in Spain, but it depends on money. It depends on Manchester [United].”
We told last week how Greenwood – linked to a move to Barcelona – was considering a return to Old Trafford because he hopes it could save his parents’ marriage.
His Dad Andrew, also his agent, has joined him in Spain while Mum Melanie has remained in the UK.
Greenwood, who has been at the La Liga club since last September, lives with his partner Harriet and their baby daughter Summer in Madrid.
The club’s new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has sparked controversy by suggesting the club could bring him back to Old Trafford.
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We told last July how talks with the club’s main sponsor, Adidas, on the issue had been “positive”. Adidas said it was a matter for United.
Greenwood, who earns £75,000 per week, is contracted to United until 2025.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
