Arsenal will miss out on a potential bonus payment clause in Aaron Ramsdale’s contract with Southampton after they were relegated on Sunday.
Arsenal sold Aaron Ramsdale to Southampton last summer, with the buying club investing an initial fee of £18m in the transfer. But the deal included up to £7m in add-ons, potentially bringing the full cost of the move to £25m.
Unfortunately, £1m of those add-ons were part of a clause depending on Southampton’s Premier League survival. On Sunday, Ramsdale’s new team were relegated.
As a result, Arsenal now can’t bring in more than £24m for Ramsdale’s transfer to Southampton, but it is still possible for the payment to increase if the goalkeeper moves on again.
Arsenal’s deal with Southampton included a sell-on clause, so if the goalkeeper pushes for a transfer in light of their relegation, some of the fee would be sent to north London.
Alternatively, if Ramsdale stays and tries to help Southampton return to the Premier League, he’d increase the chances of activating the other £6m of his add-ons.
So Arsenal could still make more money from Ramsdale’s move, just not the £1m due for Premier League survival.
Ramsdale has played 25 times for Southampton in all competitions this season, keeping three clean sheets. The Saints sit 20th with just 10 points after 31 games, still in contention for the lowest Premier League points total of all time.
With 17th-placed Wolves now 22 points ahead of Southampton with just seven matches remaining, the drop is mathematically confirmed.