BREAKING: Manchester United are trying to imitate Man City transfer hack to avoid FFP worries.

This week, Manchester United sold Facundo Pellistri, but the most striking aspect of the transaction was the amount of the sell-on clause.

Even if Facundo Pellistri is no longer a member of Manchester United, the team will still be hoping that the winger succeeds in his new endeavours away from Old Trafford.

The biggest aspect of the agreement was the magnitude of the sell-on that United had arranged with the Greek team. The Uruguayan’s permanent departure was officially announced on Wednesday with a £5.1 million transfer to Panathinaikos, plus an additional £1.7 million in add-ons.

United will keep 45% of Pellistri’s next transfer fee regardless of how well he performs in Greece. If the 21-year-old is dealt for a little loss, not much will be lost, but if he thrives with consistent playing time and makes a major move, a sizable sum might return to Old Trafford’s coffers. Pellistri aims to return to one of the top five European leagues, and United hopes he can do the same.

Sell-on provisions are starting to proliferate in the game, and United is beginning to take advantage of them. There have been sizable clauses in almost every transaction they have done this summer to sell academy players, and when Maxi Oyedele completes his transfer to Legia Warsaw, there will be one more.

A’sizeable’ sell-on option was reportedly included when Willy Kambwala departed to join Villarreal, and the agreement that sent Mason Greenwood to Marseille contained a provision worth almost 50%. When Alvaro Fernandez joined Benfica, United additionally incorporated a sell-on, but buy-back clauses are typically included in deals.

As academy graduates are sold, this is becoming the standard arrangement, and United has gained ground in this area. Since Erik ten Hag joined the team, they have undoubtedly been more aggressive in their efforts to offload young players; this summer, they lost Anthony Elanga, Zidane Iqbal, Matej Kovar, Teden Mengi, Axel Tuanzebe, Ethan Laird, Charlie Savage, Noam Emeran, and Marc Jurado.

James Garner was the main academy departure during Ten Hag’s first summer in charge; he moved to Everton when a 15% sell-on clause was incorporated. United is currently receiving larger percentages, therefore in order to get the higher clause and safeguard the team in the event that the player unexpectedly excels in regular football play, it may occasionally be worthwhile to accept a lower fee.

Although United has not yet reaped a significant advantage from these acquisitions, it is understandable that they are receiving larger clauses given that Omar Berrada, the club’s chief executive, and Jason Wilcox, its technical director, are both former Manchester City powerbrokers. When it comes to making money from academy sales, City sets the standard and frequently does so twice.

They made about £10 million this summer in trades that sent Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa to Juventus and Aro Muric from Burnley to Ipswich. They could profit once more if Burnley sells James Trafford, as they did last year when Romeo Lavia signed with Chelsea and departed Southampton.

In a time when spending regulations are more stringent, buy-back provisions are turning into a vital tool for large teams. In order to raise the money to sign Manuel Ugarte, United has had to sell this summer and may yet have to sell Scott McTominay.

Although the approximately £40 million they have received from the sales of Greenwood, Kambwala, Pellistri, and Fernandez has been useful, United will still get additional payments for those four players.