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As you might recall, Niels Nkounkou was an Everton player for a while, albeit with some spells out on loan peppering his time at Goodison Park.

He eventually found himself setting Ligue 2 alight towards the back end of last season at Saint-Etienne, which led the French club to trigger an option to buy of around €2m to keep him permanently.

What appears to have gone under the radar until now, however, is that Everton were also smart enough to include a percentage of a future sale in the deal, according to Peuple Vert.

The website, who tend to be very well informed about their club, recall how the transfer initially happened, with Saint-Etienne triggering the clause against the player’s will, who didn’t want the option to buy to be included in the first place.

He immediately made it known he wanted to leave, with Eintracht Frankfurt interested in his services, but no transfer has taken place to date.

Nkounkou recently vented his frustrations in L’Equipe, and while he is no longer an Everton player, the Toffees could still see some extra money land in their bank account down the line.

Peuple Vert remember that Saint-Etienne have already turned down two offers for their player, before explaining that while the figures first looked attractive at first, those in charge didn’t feel the same way.

That’s because ‘once the €2m have been sent to Everton as well as the percentage of a future sale, the capital gain is no longer that important’.

On top of that, the offers received included bonuses that, despite being obtainable, weren’t ‘without risk’.

Therefore, Saint-Etienne are hoping for more, which we’re sure Everton won’t be complaining about either, much to the player’s dismay.