Benfica’s sell-on clause in their Jota deal with Celtic was based on the entire fee, not just Celtic’s profit on the transfer to Al Ittihad.
It was a smart piece of business by the Lisbon side who picked up around €15m in total from an Academy player that they had decided wasn’t going to make it with their first team.
Jota’s development at Celtic, scoring away to Ferencvaros and Bayer Leverkusen on loan then last season at RB Leipzig and Real Madrid certainly generated attention and some envy from Benfica fans who had watched him come through the ranks at club and country.
For whatever reasons he wasn’t given an extended chance with Benfica, after an underwhelming season on loan at Real Valladolid in 20/21 the next stop was Celtic.
Jota arrived at Celtic at the end of the summer 2021 transfer window and instantly made an impact, after a globe-trotting summer be signed on a permanent basis but that was only to last one memorable Treble winning season.
Some very detailed information sometimes surfaces in foreign media, respected Portuguese title Record reports:
In the 2022/23 Report and Accounts released this Wednesday to the CMVM, Benfica details the net income it had with the transfer of Jota, from Celtic to Al Ittihad.
With the right to 30% of the value of the transfer that was reported at around €29 M, Benfica announces that it was entitled to an amount of €7.585 M, which generated a gain of €6.847 M, this is because the eagles had to deduct 738 thousand euros in relation to the “retention of the solidarity mechanism and expenses with intermediation services, after the effect of the respective financial update.”
Many Celtic fans will be disappointed at the club’s cut on that deal but a €14m profit on the back of two successful seasons that helped deliver successive Champions League football is a fantastic return.
Celtic and Benfica have just cut a deal for Paolo Bernardo which is likely to be on similar terms, if he repeats the success of Jota all parties will be very happy.
The precise details of Celtic transfers rarely surface but it tends to be assumed that a 10% sell-on clause is included on the profit from deals such as Virgil van Dijk going from Southampton to Liverpool.
The Jota 30% cut shows what can be achieved but the main criteria always has to be delivering the right type of signings to boost the football squad.
Manchester City are believed to have picked up a 30% cut on Jeremie Frimpong’s move to Bayer Leverkusen with Celtic expected to be due a cut on the Dutch defender’s next move.
