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The winter transfer window is upon us and every club is looking to sign players that may improve their squad. Every club wants a player high on quality and cheap on price, in short everyone wants a bargain signing. Considering the high transfer fees on display in the current footballing world, no one really knows what is the right price for a player and a release clause makes it easier for a club to know how much they might need to pay in order to acquire a particular player's services.
A release clause or a buyout clause refers to a clause in the contract that imposes an obligation on another club wishing to acquire the services of a player under contract to pay a fee of the clause to the club which issued the contract and owns the club. Once the release clause is paid, a club can directly negotiate with the player and the club that owns the player has no say in the decision after the release clause is paid. Here we discuss the players with the cheapest release clauses.
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Here are 10 quality players who could be bought on a cheap in January if their release clauses are met:
#10 Sami Khedira
Sami Khedira is a player who has had a glittering career with league titles in 3 different countries, a Champions League title and a World Cup to his name. Since being bought by Juventus in the June of 2015 from Real Madrid on a free, the 31-year-old has been a crucial part of the side who have won 3 consecutive doubles and reached a Champions League final only to beaten 4-1 by his previous club Real Madrid.
Despite having arguably his best season last year, Khedira has seen his game time reduce drastically this campaign with Allegri preferring a midfield trio of Pjanic, Bentancur and Matuidi. With his contract expiring next June, Khedira signed an extension until 2021 in September, but there is no chance the German will still be around at that time, considering his exceptionally fragile body which has seen him miss several games since the start of last season.
With a 25 million Euros release clause inserted in his new contract, Juventus may just make a good profit on an ageing player who's only cost a combined 16.2 million pounds in transfer fees in his entire career, only if someone decides to pay that release clause.
#9 Ezequiel Barco
Argentina has a well-known production line of attacking talent and the latest great hope for the 2 time World Cup Champions is the 19-year-old attacking midfielder, Ezequiel Barco. The under 20 international began his career at Independiente and was soon promoted to the first team squad. Within 18 months, he had scored 5 goals in 38 games, scored in a cup final and signed for MLS side Atlanta United for 15 million dollars.
At Atlanta United, Barco has been brilliant as he has been involved in a goal once in every 5 games and has achieved 2 key passes per game which is the same as Wayne Rooney in his debut season, last season. This impressive start for Barco means he would likely join a European club very soon.
His 10.2 million Euro release clause makes it more inevitable that he may join a European Club soon. The 19-year-old still has a long way to go, but he has all the potential in him.
#8 Borja Iglesias
Borja Iglesias has scored 9 goals so far in the 2018/19 La Liga season and has surprisingly only ever played one Spanish top flight game prior to this season. The 25-year-old came through the Academy of Celta Vigo and between 2013 to 2017 scored a massive 75 goals in 146 games for their B side in the Segunda division B. But a succession of managers at Celta didn't quite think that the tall striker was up to the task of leading the line for the senior team.
But after a loan spell at Real Zaragoza in the Segunda division last year in which he netted over 20 league goals for the second consecutive year, Espanyol took a chance and signed him for a fee of 10 million Euros. Espanyol needed this to come off, after all their talisman Gerard Moreno, scorer of 44% of their league goals in 2017/18 had recently left for Villarreal. But so far so good for Espanyol and Iglesias.
With Spurs rumoured to be interested in him and his affordable release clause of 28 million Euros, Espanyol would have to offer him a new contract only 5 months on after signing him.
#7 Ever Banega
After spending his 2016/17 season at Inter Milan, where he was involved in a league goal once in every 129 minutes, Banega returned to Seville in June 2017 and helped them to a 7th placed finish and to their first ever Champions League quarter-final. This season, Sevilla have started the season with a bang as they are involved in the title race this season and the form of Banega has been a key part of that run.
Banega has scored 3 goals and assisted 2 in 18 games he has played in the La Liga thus far. Only 7 La Liga players have made more tackles per game than Banega and only 8 have provided more than his 2.1 key passes per game.
His 20 million Euro release clause seems an absolute bargain for any club wanting 2-3 years of service out of the evergreen, all-action midfielder.
#6 Kostas Manolas
After joining Roma from Olympiakos in a 15 million Euro switch in 2014, Greek central defender Manolas has been a rock at the back for AS Roma. He began the 2017/18 season weighing up a possible move to FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. He had played regularly throughout the previous campaign making 45 appearances in all, but this was a potentially lucrative move and it would result in a reunion with his close friend and former Roma teammate Leandro Paredes.
But nevertheless, he stayed and was in a Roma side that finished 3rd in the 2017/18 season, conceded just 28 goals in 38 games and reached their first Champions League semi-final since 1984. Manolas is a tough, uncompromising and reliable centre back who has played many games for Roma since his switch from Olympiakos.
In this day and age when defenders regularly go for upwards of 50 million Pounds, it is hard to believe that the 24-year-old could be snapped up for as little as his 33 million Pound release clause. Top clubs, take note.
#5 Toby Alderweireld
The Belgian centre back Toby Alderweireld had a trophy-laden start to his career, he won 4 consecutive league titles with Ajax, won 1 league with Atletico Madrid and reached the Champions League final with the later, all before turning 26. But in his 4-year spell in England with Southampton followed by Spurs, he may have won him many individual accolades with a PFA team of the year inclusion and the Spurs player of the year award but has won no trophies to date.
After a topsy turvy 2017/18 season in which Toby fell out with manager Mauricio Pochettino and lost his place to the new signing Davidson Sanchez, the 29-year-old centre back seems to be back to his best this campaign. His passing accuracy this Champions League has upped by a massive 9.6%, he is making 0.5 more tackles plus interceptions per game in the Premier League and he has completed 7.4 long balls per game which is only topped by 4 centre-backs in Europe.
If someone was willing to pay the 29 years old's 25 million Pounds release clause, Spurs with Foyth and Sanchez coming through may be willing to let him go.
#4 Pablo Fornals
Within 3 years of joining Malaga from his boyhood club, Pablo Fornals had made his debut for the senior side. It only took 59 appearances for Villarreal to be persuaded to sign him in July 2017.
Villarreal's ambition has been awarded in spectacular fashion with Fornals contributing 15 goals in 35 appearances last season as the Yellow Submarine finished 5th. But this time out Villarreal have started very poorly with just 2 wins in their first 12 games leaving them in the relegation scrap. But Fornals form cannot be faulted with his 2.5 shots, 1.6 key passes and 1.6 per game. The 22-year-old can play on the left or right or even in the hole of the midfield, Fornals look one for the future.
If Villarreal continue to struggle, he could be bought for a comparatively cheap 26.5 million Pounds release clause.
#3 Pablo Sarabia
After graduating from Real Madrid's academy without a senior start to his name, Pablo Sarabia transferred to Getafe for 3 million Euros. Real Madrid failed to initiate their buy-back clause after 2 years, as he joined Seville from Getafe and the attacking midfielder has never looked back since.
Since swapping Seville for Getafe in June 2016, the 26-year-old attacking midfielder Pablo Sarabia has developed into one of Europe's most underrated talents. With 35 goal involvements in just 80 La Liga games and an average of 2.4 shots per game this season, only 3 midfielders in Spain Coutinho, Canales and Fornals manage to top that figure. He has 2.3 key passes per game, the fourth best in Spain which signals to the attacking talent he Sarabia has.
With his release clause set at 18 million Euros, Seville might find it hard to keep their superstar with Real Madrid rumoured to be interested in him.
#2 Timo Horn
FC Koln had a shocking 12 months after finishing 5th in the 2016/17 season. Koln had a disastrous start to the following season, going winless for their first 16 games. They eventually finished bottom having collected just 22 points, 9 points less than 17th placed Hamburg. In April 2018, with relegation all but confirmed, fans were worrying about the futures of their club captain, the German international Jonas Hector and their legendary keeper Timo Horn.
The 25-year-old one club man, Horn has played for the first team ever since he was 17 and has racked up 172 senior appearances for the club over the last 6 years. But the fans didn't need to worry as Horn confirmed that he would not trigger his relegation release clause and will be staying at the club securing plaudits from everywhere for his gesture.
If Koln somehow fail to come up next season, surely someone will seize the opportunity of signing the German with a release clause of 5.4 million Euros.
#1 Luka Jovic
20-year-old, Luka Jovic, who currently leads the Bundesliga charts with 12 goals this season has a 40 million Pounds release clause, according to Mundo Deportivo. The 3 time capped Serbian is in the second year of his 2 year loan spell at Eintracht Frankfurt from Benfica for whom he made just 2 appearances in 2 years since joining them from his Boyhood club Red Star Belgrade. Clearly spotting his potential, Benfica managed to tie him down till 2021 before he left for Germany.
He has shown the 36-time Portuguese champions just what they wanted to see, having netted 17 goals for the Frankfurt this season in all competitions. The highlight of his season so far is without a doubt the 5 goals he netted against Fortuna Dusseldorf in mid-October making him the youngest player to achieve that feat.
With his fairly cheap release clause, Frankfurt would no doubt be regretting the fact that they didn't make Jovic's loan move permanent but Benfica could only look forward to a bumper payday for Luka when he inevitably joins a top Champions League Club.
Link of the stats used- https://youtu.be/7-a-CS6f2RK
