Everton’s 30% sell on clause on defender Niels Nkounkou is causing problems for Saint-Etienne as they look to sell the player this summer.
That’s according to Peuple Vert, who say the French side are pushing for a higher fee for the player knowing they have to pay a sum of the profit to Everton.
Nkounkou joined Saint-Etienne on a permanent basis earlier this summer, with them exercising a purchase clause after a successful loan spell at the end of last season.
From day one it has been made clear that he is unlikely to remain at the club, though, even going public with his desire to move on and insisting he only signed permanently because he was forced to.
Fortunately for him there is interest in his signature from Eintracht Frankfurt and they’ve been negotiating a deal with Saint-Etienne for weeks.
So far, the two sides are yet to strike an agreement and Peuple Vert explain that remains the case as Saint-Etienne are demanding €10m for the player and the Germans don’t want to spend that.
Peuple Vert explain that doesn’t work for the French club, though, as after paying €2.5m to sign Nkounkou from Everton in the summer, the profit would be minimal.
Those profit margins would be further hit by the fact that Everton are due 30% of the profit from any future sale, which was detailed earlier this month.
If they were to sell to Frankfurt for €5-6m, the capital gain once they’d paid Everton would not be enough to source a replacement and so they’re setting their sights much higher at €10m.
It means the whole affair could be dragged out until the end of the transfer window, and we’re sure the Toffees will be keeping a close eye on it, as they look set to pocket a tidy sum somewhere along the line.
