Manchester United's academy graduate Mason Greenwood struggled on Wednesday night as Marseille lost 3-0 to Liverpool in the Champions League
Mason Greenwood in action for Marseille during their 3-0 defeat to Liverpool
Mason Greenwood in action for Marseille during their 3-0 defeat to Liverpool(Image: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
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Manchester United eventually made the right call when deciding Mason Greenwood's future. A season-long loan move to Getafe only served the purpose of pushing the decision further down the line. When he returned to England, it was best for all parties to cut ties, and the winger was allowed to join Marseille.
As part of that deal, United managed to insert some favourable clauses which will benefit them financially in the future. Should the Ligue 1 club sell Greenwood, they will owe a sizeable chunk of money to the Reds on any profit they make from the transfer.
However, a chance has opened up for United to potentially make even more money should Greenwood be sold. According to Spanish media outlet AS, when United decided to sell Greenwood permanently and Getafe missed out on his signature, the La Liga club were given a 20 per cent clause which would become active on any profit the Reds make from Greenwood leaving Marseille.
By all accounts, this is not a normal clause for a club who merely had the player on loan, to receive. But, from United's perspective, it seems they agreed this clause as a show of goodwill to Getafe considering they signed the forward when the Reds were staring at the impossible situation of keeping him.
Now, it appears Getafe have put this 20 per cent clause on the market as they look to ease their current financial difficulties. For United, the decision should be clear - buy back the clause quickly.
Some supporters still call for the return of Greenwood all these years later due to how well he has performed for Marseille since moving to France. The 24-year-old has scored 42 goals and bagged 12 assists in just 63 appearances for the French club and while he was kept quiet against Liverpool, interest is rising.
There have been reports of clubs being willing to bite the bullet and sign Greenwood for some time, and willing to pay big money to do that too. Atletico Madrid have been linked with spending £87m on the Englishman which would land United with a healthy windfall.
Eventually, a club, most likely outside of the Premier League, will agree a fee for Greenwood and United will be able to cash in. By purchasing Getafe's 20 per cent stake, the Reds will earn themselves an even greater share of the inevitable profit Marseille will make.
Greenwood still has three and a half years left on his contract at Marseille and it is unlikely the French club will not look to cash in on the forward at some stage, especially if those sorts of figures are being brandished by teams. United are not going to be attempting to re-sign Greenwood, and nor should they, so why not open the door to reclaiming the Getafe clause.
Were Greenwood to be sold for £87m, which is a possibility considering his form, Getafe's 20 per cent would be worth approximately £12m. If the Reds can purchase the clause for £5m, they will have done a good deal.
The only thing they must be wary of is paying too much for the clause and overestimating the amount teams are going to pay for Greenwood. But, weighing it up, considering his age, his value will be at least £80m.
The Greenwood saga is one which United would happily forget given the chance. But seen as that isn't possible, it makes financial sense to increase their share of Greenwood's sell-on clause before he is snapped up.