At the end of last week, Liverpool fans took to the web in anger after Football Leaks claimed that Barcelona actually only paid £65m and not £75m for Luis Suarez in summer 2014.
Liverpool had claimed the fee was £75m, as referenced here by the BBC, but the Football Leaks document suggests it was £10m less – and to be paid in four chunks – one of which Liverpool have still not received…
Many Reds felt this was a conning by the club to supporters, but the Echo reckon they may have figured the conundrum.
According to their report, Barcelona agreed to pay an extra £10m add-on fee to the Uruguayan’s former clubs, instead of Liverpool – thus assuming the responsibility for the FIFA solidarity payment.
FIFA rules state that when a player is sold internationally, clubs he played for before the age of 23, anywhere in the world, are due a 5% fee. This means that around £3.25m from the mega transfer would need to be paid to each of Uruguayan side Nacional and Dutch duo Groningen and Ajax – making roughly £10m.
Liverpool received £65m but his former clubs got another £10m, which Barca and not us chose to be responsible for.
It’s just a theory at this point, but does go some way to explain the mystery £10m deficit. (Even so, Liverpool could have explained it without sprucing up the supposed received transfer fee to £75m to make it look like we got a better deal.)
Does this make sense…? Just about, although we’re surprised it’s not been more transparent, as sell-on clauses are normally open to the public – like the fee QPR got for Raheem Sterling when we sold him to Manchester City.