Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Radek Vitek is set to leave Manchester United. Will he eventually return?
The future of Radek Vitek is set to be resolved with a sale to Middlesbrough, allowing the goalkeeper to play first team football.
United are not expected to get the large fee fans wanted, and are saving face by inserting a buy-back clause into the deal.
Is this new? Not necessarily. We have found seven other times United inserted a buy-back option into a sale, with three of them still active.
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Memphis Depay (2017)
Jose Mourinho’s decision to sell Memphis Depay in 2017 was viewed as a gamble at the time. The Netherlands international was highly rated when Louis van Gaal bought him, and while he struggled at United, there was still a lot of potential there.
A rare piece of sensible business under Ed Woodward saw United sell Memphis Depay to Lyon with a buy-back clause, offsetting some of the disappointment of the £16 million fee.
It wasn’t a set buy-back clause at a certain price but the clause gave United first priority to match any transfer offer Lyon received.
Considering Mourinho sold Kevin de Bruyne and Mohamed Salah at Chelsea, United were smart to hedge their bets.
Depay had stretches of form at Lyon that had some United fans paying attention, scoring 76 goals in total, but once he entered the final year of his contract, the clause was non-existent. He ended up signing for Barcelona on a free transfer.
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Matej Kovar (2023)
Erik ten Hag approved the sale of Matej Kovar to Bayer Leverkusen in 2023, with Manchester United netting £7.7 million.
The terms of the sale also granted United a buy-back clause for the goalkeeper if the club wished to exercise it.
The clause was set up in a similar way to the Depay deal, granting United the right to match any offer received.
Last summer Erik ten Hag decided to sell Kovar again, during his brief spell in charge of Leverkusen, sending the goalkeeper to PSV Eindhoven.
Despite United’s goalkeeping situation being in flux at the time, United chose not to match the £6 million offer for Kovar, who is now the Czech Republic’s number one goalkeeper.
Alvaro Fernandez playing for Benfica
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Alvaro Carreras (2024)
Manchester United botched the sale and possible buy-back for Alvaro Carreras completely.
After loaning Alvaro to Benfica in early 2024, United allowed the Portuguese side to activate their buy-option at just £5 million.
United had an option to buy Alvaro back for £16 million, which seemed like a smart deal to do after his impressive performances.
Real Madrid took interest in Alvaro last summer and there was speculation United could re-sign the defender then immediately sell him for a profit.
Instead the club chose not to do this, and stepped aside as the defender signed for Real for £40 million, a confusing outcome all around.
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Facundo Pellistri (2024)
Manchester United inserted a buy-back clause and a substantial sell-on fee into the agreement to let Facundo Pellistri sign Panathinaikos.
The sale was only £5 million, and the clause was a way for United to save face on a poor fee for a regular Uruguay international.
Pellistri has had two seasons at the Greek club and has not given United any reason to want to consider activating the clause.
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Willy Kambwala (2024)
A breakthrough defender under Erik ten Hag, Manchester United decided to cash in on Willy Kambwala after the FA Cup Final in 2024.
Kambwala was only fifth or sixth choice and United were happy to take the £8.5 million fee for the French centre-back.
United have a buy-back option for the French centre-back, but injuries have prevented Kambwala from getting a strong run of form together.
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Mason Greenwood (2024)
There were plenty of eyebrows raised when Manchester United inserted a buy-back clause into the sale of Mason Greenwood. This was a player who it had been made clear would never play for the club again.
United insisted the clause was just standard practice when selling an academy player.
The club chose not to exercise the clause when Fenerbahce bought Greenwood for £35 million this summer. United did net around £10 million from a sell-on clause.
Hannibal Mejbri of Burnley during the Sky Bet Championship match
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Hannibal Mejbri (2024)
United inserted a buy-back clause into the sale of Hannibal Mejbri allowing the club to match any future offers received for the midfielder.
Hannibal remains at Burnley, and it is unlikely the club would seek to activate the clause for the Tunisia midfielder.