| Barcelona’s gabi. AP News |
18-year-old midfielder Pablo Gabi has renewed his contract with Barcelona (Spain). The buyout clause is worth 1 billion euros (regarding 1.39 trillion won).
On the night of the 14th (Korean time), Barcelona announced on their website that they had extended their contract with Gabi until 2026. Barcelona explained that they had put a €1 billion buyout clause in Gabby’s contract. Barcelona plans to hold a signing ceremony at Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain on the morning of the 16th and reveal it to fans.
In professional football, the buy-out clause is a safeguard to keep players in the transfer market. In particular, the buy-out clause is mandatory in the Spanish La Liga. However, if the buyout amount is set low, it may be stolen from other clubs at a low price. A prime example is Elling Halan, who moved from Dortmund (Germany) to Manchester City (England) this summer. Halan’s market value was estimated at €150 million, but Manchester City took advantage of a buyout clause of less than half that of €60 million.
However, it is impossible to put a high buy-out clause blindly. Because the consent of the players is required. So, in order to insert a high buy-out clause, clubs offer relatively high salaries to players as ‘carrots’. In particular, since 1 billion euros is an astronomical amount that cannot be activated in reality, players with the amount set as a buyout clause are classified as ‘not for sale’. In addition to Gabi, Barcelona have also set a €1 billion buyout clause for Fedri, Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres.
Reporter Heo Jong-ho
