Man United have officially confirmed the signing of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax – but they could be set to lose even more money from a transfer clause.
The Red Devils unveiled the Argentinian centre-back on Wednesday. He started his first game for the club in a behind-closed-doors friendly against National League side Wrexham.
United shelled out a fee of £48.3 million for Martinez, with a potential further £8.4m in add-ons. The 24-year-old is an important signing, with new boss Erik ten Hag having been keen to recruit a central defender in this window.
All three of United’s senior signings this summer – Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen – have all played in their manager’s native Netherlands. But ten Hag raided Ajax for the signing of Martinez. He played a vital role in his former club’s Eredivisie triumph last season.
Speaking to United’s official website, Martinez said: “It’s an honour to join this great football club. I’ve worked so hard to get to this moment. And, now that I’m here, I’m going to push myself even further.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be part of successful teams in my career, and that’s what I want to continue at Manchester United. There will be a lot of work to get to that moment. But I firmly believe that, under this manager and coaches, and together with my new team-mates, we can do it.”
United fans will hope that their new centre-back can justify his outlay and hit the ground running at his new club. His success would guarantee United have a more stable defence this term. In addition, it would also guarantee another huge outlay based on an unusual clause.
Man United have an unusual transfer clause in Lisandro Martinez contract
When footballers move clubs, it is quite common for bonuses to be included in their contracts. That can be in the form of appearance fees, competition bonuses or individual achievement rewards.
It is also common to negotiate a transfer fee with the selling club that contains add-ons. This is what United have done to sign Martinez from Ajax – but it will come at a high cost.
That is because, according to the Daily Mirror, the Red Devils will have to pay the Dutch champions a princely fee of £56,000 every time Martinez makes an appearance for his new side. The figure is capped at 30 games, meaning United could pay over £1.7 million to Ajax every season.
In addition, it is reported that the clause will remain in place for every year of Martinez’s five-year contract. Therefore, the Red Devils could shell out over £8.5 million on top of the original fee.
If the 24-year-old performs strongly at the heart of the defence for Erik ten Hag’s side, you sense United will have few worries about handing the money over. Fans will be hoping that is indeed the case.
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