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Having first refusal on buying a player back - how does it work?

DavidTDavidT Posts: 20,285
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in Football #1
Might sound like a simple question I know. Suppose Club A sells a player to Club B with a clause in the sale agreement they have first refusal to buy the player back if he leaves Club B.

What is the process if it happens? Club B decide to sell the player and Club A get first refusal. Club A wants the player back. At the same time it is known Club C also want the player and would pay a lot more to get him.

What rights would club A have here? Can they insist the player joins them (difficult if the player doesn't want to) and is a fee already set in stone in the original sale agreement? Does Club B have any rights who to sell him too? I've always wondered if these "first refusal" clauses are actually worth anything in reality? What does first refusal really mean?

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    law10law10 Posts: 704
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    #2
    Quite often it's merely a gentleman's agreement. I don't know if such a clause could ever be legally binding unless it included a future transfer, as Barcelona and Real Madrid have done with young players relatively recently. In most cases, the initial buying club would simply promise the selling club talks if the player ever did become available.
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    codebluecodeblue Posts: 14,072
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    #3
    I do believe that "first refusal" is not worth the paper its written on.

    However what is more useful, is a sell on clause - its far more advantageous to sell a player back to where they came from then.
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    AmbassadorAmbassador Posts: 22,333
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    #4
    Sure these clauses exist, along with the buy back clause.

    Of course if the player refuses there's nothing either club can do about it
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    ShaunIOWShaunIOW Posts: 11,329
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    #5
    I think the way 1st refusal works is Club A sells the player to Club B, then Club C bids for the player and Club B accepts the bid, then they inform Club A who can then bid the same if they wish to, which Club B accepts, then its up to the player to decide who to go to. The same applies when big clubs have a feeder club, if any of the feeder clubs players are bid on and the bid accepted then the parent club can match the bid and it'll be accepted - I guess the big advantage to this is Club A/parent club doesn't have to get into an auction, they just have to match a bid.
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