Man Utd to earn 'substantial' windfall for player sold less than 12 months ago

Daily Mirror

4 hours ago

Manchester United's Profit and Sustainability concerns are set to be eased with one of their former academy players expected to be on the move this summer, just a year ater leaving the Red Devils
Manchester United are set to earn a substantial transfer windfall thanks to former star Maxi Oyedele. The United academy graduate left the Red Devils a year ago for Legia Warsaw, having never played a senior game at Old Trafford.
But he has starred in Poland, making 24 appearances in all competitions as Legia won the Polish Cup. That was their first major trophy since 2023, with Oyedele playing all 90 minutes of the final.
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Though he only joined last summer and has two years to run on his contract, the midfielder is attracting strong interest. Werder Bremen, PSV Eindhoven, Anderlecht, Club Brugge and a number of Championship sides are understood to be monitoring the 20-year-old.
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There is a release clause in his contract that means he is available for a tick over £5million this summer. There is a growing expectation at Legia that he will be departing the club after just one season.
If he does indeed move on, it would bank United a healthy sum, which will go a way towards easing their concerns with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules. The Red Devils are hoping to be busy this summer and any fee received will be greatly appreciated.
In a surprise move given he left just 12 months ago, United will benefit substantially from Oyedele's potential transfer. When they sold him last summer, United inserted various clauses into the deal.
While they only sold him for a small fee, one of the clauses they inserted was a substantial sell-on clause to ensure future profit. That sell-on clause means that United are entitled to 40 per cent of any fee Legia receive for the midfielder.
If he is sold for his release clause, it would see United bank just over £2m. That money would likely go straight into easing their PSR concerns, with a buy-back option also included in the original deal.
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A departure for Oyedele would come as somewhat of a surprise given his short time in Poland. Speaking in April, the youngster insisted he was happy with life in the capital city.
'It's just funny for my mum because she left Poland to come to England and make a life; I left England to go to Poland to start my journey,' Oyedele told The Guardian. 'Legia was the biggest opportunity.
"I don't even think I realised how big of an opportunity it was when I heard about it. I felt like this was the opportunity to play in Europe, the biggest team in Poland. It's my nationality, so it's close to the national team.
"It's always a risk to leave it, but it just seemed like the best choice. I couldn't afford to waste another year playing academy football. I could have stayed in England and continued my journey and who knows what would have happened."
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