So it's worth mentioning to the press how we inserted a clause into the deal taking him to the Santiago Burgerbun that we have first refusal on him if they do sell him?
Bale, a bit like Rooney, is a thicker set build than someone like Ronaldo, who is naturally leaner. That extra weight, even if it is muscle will take its toll over time. It's not such a problem for central defenders, who run a lot less as a whole. The increased 'bulking up' of players who need to be athletic for 90 minutes is counter-intuitive when you think of the build of athletes. Thierry Henry, Dele Alli and Ronaldo are the perfect build for a modern forward who is going to to play at the top level for an extended period.
It was revealed by Football Leaks eighteen months ago - and the clause is in place until 2019. There was also a clause stating that, if Los Ladrones sold Bale to any Premier League club before September 1st 2015, they'd have had to pay us £10m compensation. Most interesting of all is that it appears that Los Ladrones paid more than the announced fee, but the full figure wasn't announced as it would've hurt the Oily Rat's pwecious wickle feelings if people said that there was someone in the team that was more expensive than he was, which has been confirmed by various journalists who are asked by Los Ladrones not to mention Bale's fee in interviews.
Levy. "Most interesting of all is that it appears that Los Ladrones paid more than the announced fee, but the full figure wasn't announced as it would've hurt the Oily Rat's pwecious wickle feelings if people said that there was someone in the team that was more expensive than he was, which has been confirmed by various journalists who are asked by Los Ladrones not to mention Bale's fee in interviews." They really are a laughable bunch, ain't they. Would love Levy to fully disclose it in THFC financial reports, but I suspect Perez had an NDA clause inserted in the transfer contract.
The first refusal surely isn't worth the paper it's written on. RM "OK Gareth you are going to leave us. Spurs are in with an offer we are happy with." GB "No, thanks." That's that then. Can't force anyone to sign a contract?
Gives us a heads up and would allow us to get involved if a side with similar financials was bidding, but largely pointless, yeah. Could be relevant if he was running into the last year of his contract and a team from the US, China or Russia came in for him, I guess. They might offer him decent money, but he could prefer slightly less money and a return to the Premier League. As things are though, he's basically a non-starter for us. Really isn't going to happen. Hope he doesn't sign for another club in England, though.
Having risked a terminal case of computer cancer to get the documents, here is the relevant section in full 10. Option Right. LOS LADRONES DO MADRID and the PLAYER hereby grant to TOTTENHAM from the date hereof until June 30 2019 an option right to match any offer from a Premier League Club for the registration of the Player, LOS LADRONES DO MADRID shall notify TOTTENHAM the terms of any offer it finds acceptable (a 'Third Party Offer'), and TOTTENHAM shall thereafter have a period of 72 hours after receipt of such notification to offer to match all the terms contained in the offer to LOS LADRONES DO MADRID under the Third Party Offer. If, after such 72 hours have elapsed, LOS LADRONES DO MADRID does not receive the affirmative answer from TOTTENHAM, LOS LADRONES DO MADRID shall be free to transfer the Player. However, in the event that TOTTENHAM does match the Third Party Offer, Los Ladrones do Madrid* shall be required to accept TOTTENHAM's offer in preference to any other offers received (including any higher offers received following Los Ladrones do Madrid's** receipt of the Third Party Offer) and transfer the Player as soon as possible in the first available FA registration period to TOTTENHAM pursuant to a Transfer Agreement acceptable to TOTTENHAM in its sole discretion. Should the 72 hours elapse without TOTTENHAM matching all the terms of the third club's offer, LOS LADRONES DO MADRID shall be free to accept the offer. * No idea why they forgot to use CAPS LOCK here ** Or here There's also this little doozy hidden away too... 4. IN further consideration for the transfer of the Player, the parties hereby declare that all amounts regarding the transfer of the player Rafael Van Der Vaart shall be deemed received by LOS LADRONES DO MADRID, and LOS LADRONES DO MADRID shall have no further entitlement regarding such transfer and/or the payment agreement reached between the Parties dated August 23rd 2012. In other words, we managed to Levy them in the past, the present, and the future - which means, in the years to come, Barcelona shall be twinned with Tottenham and statues of Daniel Levy will be erected in both cities to commemorate the moment where we ****ed over Los Ladrones in three separate time periods at the same time.
So, if I'm reading that right, then if they accept a bid from someone else, then they have to accept our bid and refuse the other one? Then, even if the other team comes back with a bigger bid, they still can't accept it and have to go with ours matching the original? It also seems that the bid was even bigger than reported and that's not including the van der Vaart fee being cancelled. Levy really wasn't ****ing around on that one, was he? Good deal for Real and they've had two amazing players from us, but you can see why people don't want to deal with the chairman.
The Lyon Chairman was left a gibbering wreck after the Hugo Lloris transfer. One day Levy agreed £12m, the next day he offered £9m. If Kyle Walker is to leave this summer, then Citeh don't have the slightest idea what's coming. I would !Ike us to insist on taking Iheanacho as part of the deal. They're supposed to be against selling to a rival? Okay, no exchange then you don't get any of our players, ever. When they offer him up, as surely they must, we should up the cash element of the deal plus the player or add in a youth prospect. We don't need to sell and we can't buy their players? **** 'em.
Youth prospect? Hell no, they should give us one of their satellite clubs. Which would we prefer, NYC FC, Melbourne City, or Yokohama F. Marinos?
No, but it's possible that there's a clause in his RM contract that he'll accept an offer from Spurs in certain circumstances. Not sure whether it would be enforcable, and less certain still whether RM could or would seek to obtain specific performance to stop themselves being in breach with Spurs. Edit : on reflection it would almost certainly be too uncertain to enforce. Probably at most there would be a 3 way agreement, whereby the player was required to enter into negotiations in good faith. Which again would probably be unenforcable (in English law anyway).
Like Berbatov, Ronaldo was set on a move. Like Spurs, Utd were able to negotiate an exceptional transfer fee in the circumstances. Unlike Spurs, Utd allowed the transfer to go ahead without any rancour.
