Newcastle United actually paid a little more than Lukáš Horníček’s release clause when signing the goalkeeper from Braga this summer.
The figure everyone knew was €30m (£26.2m), which was the value of the Czech goalkeeper’s clause.
We covered at the time that Newcastle weren’t just triggering it, though. The Magpies had negotiated directly with Braga so they could spread the payments instead.
That essentially turned it into a normal €30m transfer, despite the obvious connection to the release clause.
But Newcastle found a way to make everyone happy. And it turns out they even threw a little extra money into the deal.
Newcastle actually paid above the clause
Braga president António Salvador has now revealed exactly how much the Portuguese club received.
Speaking at the Portugal Football Summit, in comments covered by Portuguese newspaper A Bola, he said Newcastle paid €30.57m (£26.7m). That’s €570k (£498k) more than the release clause.
“We believed Horníček could stay this year, but he had a release clause and there was a club [Newcastle] who actually paid more, they paid €30.57m when the clause was €30m,” Salvador said.
“It was a good deal for the club and for the player, who also had the ambition of playing in the English league.”
So the Magpies didn’t formally activate the €30m (£26.2m) clause in the end. They negotiated with Braga instead, got a payment structure which suited them better and ultimately paid €570k (£498k) above that figure.
Extra thousands aren’t looking too painful
There’s also something useful from Salvador on Horníček’s side of the story. Braga thought they might keep him for another season. The goalkeeper, however, had ambitions of playing in England – not in Hull, though.
And Newcastle will hardly be regretting putting those extra €570k on the table right now. Hornicek has started his Premier League career with two clean sheets in six appearances -plus some genuinely game-winning saves.
So yes, Newcastle ended up paying slightly more than the release clause. But given what Hornicek has shown in his first few weeks in England, €30.57m (£26.7m) is already looking pretty cheap.
