William Carvalho has one of the most peculiar contracts in Portugal. The midfielder can be bought for a €45m release clause, but in case Sporting reject an offer above €35m, they must pay the player compensation of €5m.
However, the bid didn’t offer the full price paid upfront, so it wasn’t triggered.
William Carvalho has been frequently linked to several English clubs, but the only ones who had an offer reported late in the market were West Brom.
According to O Jogo at the time, the Baggies had offered €30m up front plus €5m in bonuses, so Record’s story makes a lot of sense.
Maybe if West Brom had offered the €35m altogether, Sporting would have been convinced. It’s hard to believe West Brom didn’t know of the clause, and the situation sounds similar to the club’s pursuit of Malaga’s Ignacio Camacho.
