Football's highest buyout clauses: Jude Bellingham ranks with Barcelona players on €1bn break as Spanish giants dominate list
Release clauses are often used by teams around the world in football to protect their star players from other clubs in the transfer market.
Of course, not all teams have the luxury of including extremely high get-out clauses, so it's often only the biggest teams that insert them into their players' contracts.
In Spain, termination clauses are also required, with LaLiga rules that establish that they have to be in all contracts.
Such as, Barcelona and real Madrid The players typically have the highest buyout clauses in world football because they are two of the biggest and richest clubs in the world.
Judas Bellingham He arrived at Los Blancos in the summer of 2023 from Borussia Dortmund and has a termination clause of one billion euros in his contract at the Bernabéu.
This equates to a staggering £871 million, and there are plenty of other Barcelona and Real Madrid players with similar clauses.
Barcelona's quartet Pedri, Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres also have similar clauses to Bellingham. Ansu Fati, currently on loan at Brighton, also has an exit clause of one billion euros.
In it first divisionKevin De Bruyne's £213m release clause is the highest.
Erling Haaland also has a clause believed to be €200m, equivalent to around £175m, which City are trying to extract ahead of one of Spain's two big attacks.
As a result, no Premier League players are in the top ten.
The highest termination clauses in football
Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid – €1bn (£871m/$1.08bn)
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Since signing for Real, Bellingham has established himself as a fan favorite at the Bernabéu thanks to several standout performances.
The England international is already in the conversation as the best player in the world at the moment and, although it is early days, he has no intention of leaving Spain anytime soon.
When asked about his future, he said: “This is the club I want to be at for the next 10 to 15 years of my life. I love being there.”
And the good news for Los Blancos fans is that no one will be able to afford his ridiculous buyout clause, so unless they decide to sell him for less, he's not going anywhere.
Ansu Fati – Barcelona – €1bn (£871m/$1.08bn)
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In 2021, fati He signed a new contract with Barcelona after he burst onto the scene and looked like Messi's heir.
He has not progressed as much as some expected and is currently on loan at Premier League side Brighton.
However, the Spain international remains a sensational player and will almost certainly enjoy an excellent career, even if he falls short of those unrealistic expectations.
But if he ever does, Barcelona will be protected in the transfer market due to his incredible release clause.
Pedri – Barcelona – €1bn (£871m/$1.08bn)
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Pedri is one of two young Barcelona midfielders who the club believes can emulate Xavi and Andreas Iniesta.
The Spanish duo were the foundation of one of the best clubs we have ever seen, and Xavi is now the coach of Barça.
He believes that Pedri is already at the level of his former teammate, which explains why he also has a termination clause of one billion euros.
Ronald Araujo – Barcelona – €1bn (£871m/$1.08bn)
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Unlike some of these other Barcelona players, Araujo is not from La Masia and was signed in 2018 from Uruguay.
The 24-year-old has risen through the ranks to become one of their most important players.
He can play as a center back or right back and has speed, strength and calmness on the ball.
His contract expires in 2026, but before that, any team that wants to sign him will have to erase the world transfer record.
Gavi – Barcelona – €1 billion (£871 million/$1.08 billion)
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The other half of Barcelona's new Spanish midfield duo is Gavi.
He is another Spanish international and someone Barcelona hope to build their team around.
Gavi likes to play between the lines and looks to combine with the other players on his side to create opportunities for others.
He is already a sublime footballer, so it is not surprising that the LaLiga giants have imposed a huge release clause on him.
Ferran Torres – Barcelona – €1bn (£871m/$1.08bn)
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The final Barcelona player on this list might surprise some, but former Manchester City striker Ferran Torres has a €1 billion release clause in his deal.
He arrived at the Spanish team in 2021 from City in a deal worth up to 65 million euros.
But he has yet to really show his true talent and has often been used as a substitute rather than a regular starter.
However, Torres is still young and has plenty of time to show why Barcelona signed him in the first place.
Vinicius Junior – Real Madrid – €1bn (£871m/$1.08bn)
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Vinicius Jr is possibly the most interesting player on this list, along with Bellingham.
The Brazilian winger is one of the most direct players in the world and has added finishing and end product to his insane dribbling ability.
Vinicius Jr. He played a huge role in the 2021/22 Champions League victory, scoring the winning goal against Liverpool.
He became a member of the billion-euro club in 2023 and will likely remain at Real Madrid for most of his career.
Eduardo Camavinga – Real Madrid – €1bn (£871m/$1.08bn)
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There are not many players in world football who can play as well in two positions as Camavinga.
The Frenchman came to Real Madrid as a midfielder and always looks brilliant when he plays there.
However, due to the large number of options the club has, he also plays as a left back.
Since he's so young, you'd think this might be a challenge, but it looks like he's played there his entire life.
Camavinga is already an important player for France and could play countless games for Real Madrid.
