Arsenal and Manchester United will have to pay Kieran Trippier’s €60m release clause if they want to sign him this summer with Atletico Madrid eyeing the money to help their academy.

It’s not just in England you have to pay a premium for English players. It also applies if you want to sign one of those rare players – an Englishman playing somewhere outside England.

Kieran Trippier is 30-years-old with a market value of about £18m and a contract until 2023. Atletico Madrid paid Tottenham £19.8m for him in 2019 but now they want his release fee paid in full before they consider selling him.

That would certainly seem to rule Arsenal out completely, if they were ever really interested in the first place. Paying £50m for Ben White, who is a 23-year-old centreback is one thing, but do you really think the club are going to repeat that trick for a former Spurs player?

Then there’s the issue that Atletico Madrid don’t actually want to sell Trippier, which is why they are insisting on such a ridiculous amount for the player. Hard to argue with that, really.

Trippier turns 31 in September and only idiots would pay €60m for him in this window.

Manchester United are said to be interested.