Arguably Arsenal’s best player this season, Mesut Ozil’s leaked contract has revealed some interesting information. According to a transfer document that was published on the Football Leaks website, Real Madrid have a 48-hour first option on Ozil should Arsenal agree to sell their playmaker to another Spanish club.
The website has posted a series of transfer documents in recent weeks including the details of Gareth Bale’s world-record transfer to Real Madrid. The latest contract leak now reveals new details of Arsenal’s club record deal for the talented playmaker.
The most eye-catching element of the contract is that it gives Madrid the first option to buy back the player should he be sold to another Spanish club. However, this option is not applicable if the Gunners decide to move on Ozil to any other club outside of Spain with Madrid, at least, having to match the deal that had been agreed elsewhere. This clause is very similar to the one that was in the transfer document of Cesc Fabregas which Arsenal subsequently did not exercise when he moved to Chelsea.
Although the total fee can be confirmed to be around €42 million, the breakdown of the payment of the final 6 million provides for a curious reading. The last 6 million is paid in 1 million installments every year Arsenal qualify for the group phase of the Champions League. This is a pretty intelligent move from the Gunners as although they have never finished outside the top 4 since 20 years, there have been a series of close finishes over recent years.
Madrid can also congratulate themselves on securing a potentially sizeable sell-on clause. Should Ozil be sold to another Spanish club for more than €50 million that would entitle them to 33 per cent of any profit made in addition to the original fee.
The publication of this document, however, will be a major source of embarrassment for both the teams as a confidentiality clause in the contract forbids the teams from disclosing the details of the deal to any third party without prior written consent. After the transfer document leaks of Bale, Martial and Ozil over the past few weeks on the Football Leaks website, teams will be even more wary of potentially sensitive documents that can soon be published on the Football Leaks website. However, if there is one thing we can learn from these documents is that talented footballers definitely do not come cheap.
