According to Merseyside sources, Martin Zubimendi has been told to pay his €60 million release clause himself in order to leave Real Sociedad for Liverpool.
Liverpool’s pursuit of Zubimendi should find a resolution this week, with all parties pushing the player to decide on his future as soon as possible.
It is clear that Sociedad are eager for their midfielder – who as of Monday was still training with Imanol Alguacil’s first team – to remain in San Sebastian for another campaign.
But with Liverpool making him their priority target this summer, the 25-year-old is faced with a tough decision over leaving his boyhood club.
The issue is not financial, according to widespread reports, more so Zubimendi taking his time to decide if it is the right move for him.
However, the Times‘ Paul Joyce is among those to now report that Sociedad appear to be digging their heels in as they insist, if he does want to leave, that the player triggers his buyout clause himself at LaLiga’s Madrid offices.
Buyout clause – NOT a release clause
“The tactic has only served to increase the pressure on Zubimendi,” Joyce writes.
“Sociedad are now playing hardball with the Spain midfielder, who may have otherwise begun contemplating negotiating with Liverpool.”
Still erroneously described as a “release clause” in Joyce’s report and across the wider press in England, Zubimendi’s contract instead includes a buyout clause.
That is commonplace in Spain and, unlike a release clause which can be activated by a buying club, requires the player in question to deposit the money in order to activate a transfer.
In other words, a player must buy out his contract for a predetermined fee – in Zubimendi’s case, €60 million (£51.3m) – to ensure his release to the buying club.
Of course, one wrinkle not mentioned in Joyce’s report is that Liverpool would still be paying that fee, only it would be done so via the midfielder, not between themselves and Sociedad.
A PR exercise?
However, as pointed out by football finance specialist Mo Chatra, that would be treated by Spanish authorities as income paid from Liverpool to Zubimendi, and would therefore be liable for tax.
Chatra explains that this would, in theory, increase the fee to £75.7 million, however it is speculated that this latest update in simply a PR exercise from Sociedad.
Unless no lessons were learned with the reporting around last summer’s pursuit of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, Liverpool would have already gained the assurances they need regarding a transfer.
It is suggested that Sociedad may be “playing hardball” in public to save face among supporters as they lose a popular core of their squad this summer.
