Several Serie A players have release clauses included in their contracts, and Football Italia looks at three of the potentially most exciting deals in Italy’s top flight.
The summer transfer window is just around the corner, and Serie A clubs are aware that some of their stars could leave if an interesting club matches release clauses for their best players.
Release clauses in Serie A are not mandatory like in Spain, but many players and clubs have recently included them in their agreements.
One of them is Rafael Leao, the Portuguese star of Milan, who has a €175m clause in his contract that is worth €7m per season.
Back in 2023, Leao signed a new contract at San Siro until June 2028, raising his clause from €150m to €175m.
Leao has had highs and lows this season, but still managed ten goals and nine assists in 43 appearances across all competitions.
Fonseca and Sergio Conceiçao, however, were not entirely satisfied with their winger’s attitude during the current campaign, and both coaches sometimes dropped the 25-year-old from the starting XI.
Conceiçao, who replaced Fonseca in December, recently admitted that Leao can do “much more” because “he has incredible quality and characteristics.
“He must realise the ball at his feet is very important, but he must work when he’s not on the ball. He must understand that he is part of a team, part of a collective, and that he must work at all moments for the team.”
Possibly, however, the most exciting clause in Serie A belongs to Moise Kean, the second-best Serie A scorer this term with 17 goals.
SocialSweeps.com offers some interesting odds for those willing to bet on Kean winning the Serie A Capocannoniere award. The Italian is only second to Atalanta’s Mateo Retegui, who has netted 23 times, but only once in the last four games.
Kean will be available for a €52m clause, but only from July 1 to 15. The Italy international has already been linked with Barcelona and Newcastle, but Fiorentina hope the ex-Juventus star will remain at the Stadio Franchi beyond the summer.
“I want him to stay. Then, if he can’t stay and somebody makes an offer, we’ll see,” Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso told Sky Sport Italia.
“I’ll try to retain him because he’s important to Fiorentina.
“We are not first, second, or third, but we defend what we have,” he continued.
“I don’t need any club to come here and say they are better than us or the king of Italian football, so they can sign whoever they want.”
Marcus Thuram, another top Serie A scorer, has an €85m clause in his Inter contract.
The France international has scored 14 goals in 30 Serie A games and provided four assists. Adding three goals in ten Champions League matches, Thuram has now scored 17 goals in 42 games across all competitions.
Inter are reportedly planning to open talks for a new deal to help the club remove the clause, but surely their striker is unwilling to use his clause to leave the Stadio Meazza in the summer.
“It’s a high fee,” the Inter star told Gazzetta this past December.
“Let me say this straight. I will never use the clause to leave Inter because of my relationship with everyone. I will never be the one choosing it. If something happens, there will always be a dialogue with the club.”
