Most Expensive Buyout Clauses in Football

Buyout clauses are that part of the contract that says ‘no, you can’t touch our man.’

In the football world, the buyout (or release) clause skyrockets after the record-breaking buyout of Neymar to Paris Saint Germain. His buyout amounted to €222 million.

If you are meaning to ask what is Lionel Messi’s buyout clause, well, it’s in the tune of roughly €727.8 million. He will be playing for Barcelona through 2021.

Neymar and Messi are not the only football players with astonishing buyout clauses, though. 

Here are other players with expensive buyout clauses in football.

Ousmane Dembélé, Philip Coutinho | €400 million

Neymar left a spot that is sure hard to replace. And so Barcelona started filling up the hole by acquiring Dembélé. The 20-year-old French player has one of the most expensive buyout clauses now.

Coutinho has been an impressive player on the turf. So Barcelona is doing everything in keeping him in the club.

Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Dani Ceballos, James Rodriguez, Gerard Pique | €500 Million

Kroos is a crucial man in Real Madrid’s lineup, sharing the same buyout clause with his teammates, Modric, Rodriguez, and Ceballos.

If Kroos is responsible for balancing the team, Modric’s main role is orchestrating an attack particularly after retrieving the ball. Modric connects the defence and the attack. Modric is also a Ballon d’Or winner. 

Ceballos has yet to prove his worth. The midfielder is known for his excellent performance while on his previous club, Real Betis.

Rodriguez is currently on loan to Bayern Munich. He hasn’t had the opportunities playing for Real Madrid yet, but he still belongs to the club.

Pique, on the other hand, is a seasoned defender that landed him the high buyout clause.

Lionel Messi, Marco Asensio, Isco | €700 million

Messi is doing Messi—with his five Ballon d’Ors and 523 goals out of 602 matches. Enough said.

Asensio is another promising 21-year-older (same with Ceballos) in the list. As early as now, he is a prominent feature in Real Madrid’s attacking line.

Sceptics compare Isco with the playing style of Zinedine Zidane. He may not be always on the starting lineup but when he does play, he delivers a convincing performance that earned the trust of the club’s manager.

Antoine Griezmann | €800 million

Barcelona is depending on its left-footed forward, along with other football superstars in the club of course. He was a team player and has an eye for goal.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Benzema | €1 billion

People would speculate why Ronaldo has a bigger buyout clause than Messi. But one has to wonder why Gareth Bale and Benzema have bigger buyouts as well.

Bale’s transfer from Tottenham Spurs to Real Madrid was the predecessor to Neymar’s record. Bale’s transfer was valued at €100 million. Indeed, he was Real Madrid’s prized possession.

Benzema has a solid 2018-19 performance. He scored a total of 21 goals at La Liga. He was the top choice striker too.

Going back to Ronaldo, he was Real Madrid’s top scorer. With him on the club, the Los Blancos was able to win all the possible titles there are. He was signed in 2009.

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Messi and Ronaldo truly deserved their buyout clauses. But what about the others? Let us know your thoughts.