Everton have earned money from the sales of former players in consecutive windows and could benefit again if Youssef Chermiti leaves Rangers
Youssef Chermiti of Portugal and Rangers before the start of the U21 international friendly match between Portugal and Northern Ireland. Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images
Youssef Chermiti of Portugal and Rangers before the start of the U21 international friendly match between Portugal and Northern Ireland. Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images
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Everton were unable to earn a windfall from the sale of academy graduate Lewis Dobbin but that they came so close highlighted the savviness of their recent transfer dealings.
The Blues would have received 10% of any profit made by Aston Villa, who sold him to Southampton last week, courtesy of the sell-on clause inserted into the agreement that took him to the Midlands two years ago.
With the deal set to be worth no more than £9m, there was no profit to claim a percentage of. But this is an approach that has earned the club money over recent windows and could do so again this summer.
The most notable example of Everton staking a claim over the future sales of former players is that of Anthony Gordon.
When he left the Blues in an acrimonious but lucrative move to Newcastle United in January 2023, the Finch Farm starlet earned the club an initial £40m - a helpful sum given the scrutiny the club’s finances were about to come under.
His pre-World Cup move to Barcelona for £69m allowed Everton to take advantage of a clause earning them 15% of the profit made by the Magpies - providing the club with at least £3.6m, and more if the £5m bonuses included in the original sale were not met.
It is the second summer in a row that the Blues have profited from a sell-on fee for a former starlet. Twelve months ago Nathan Broadhead moved from Ipswich Town to Wrexham in an eye-watering deal for the Championship club.
A £10m package, with an initial fee thought to have been £7.5m, gave Ipswich £6m of profit on the fee they paid Everton for the striker.
With the Blues owed 20% of the Tractor Boys’ profit, that left the club in line for £1.2m.
In the same summer, Neal Maupay’s permanent move to Marseille was triggered after an initial season on loan in the south of France.
That allowed Everton to recoup £6m of the money they spent on the forward - a feat only made possible through ensuring Maupay signed a contract extension before the Marseille move, preventing him from leaving on a free.
The sell-on clauses were a common feature of the outgoings signed off by former director of football Kevin Thelwell as the Blues sought a more intelligent approach to their transfer dealings.
They have missed out on two more cash boosts this summer already, with Dobbin being sold for less than he left Everton for and Ben Godfrey - another player whose departure included a sell-on - leaving Atalanta for Rangers on loan and not on a permanent basis.
That move saw him reunited with former Blues team-mate Youssef Chermiti, who has attracted attention from the Netherlands and France this summer after a solid start to life in Scotland.
Rangers are desperate to hold firm on their valuation of the Portuguese youth international and, if it is met, Everton should make another seven figure fee.
A similar prospectlooks unlikely for ex-Blues midfielder Amadou Onana, however, who suffered a serious injury while on World Cup duty with Belgium.