Neymar's move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017 broke the world transfer record, with the French club paying 222 million euros to trigger the release clause in the Brazilian's contract. It also marked a turning point in how Barcelona protected their players, especially the talents they saw as part of their future.
The Catalan club changed course sharply once Neymar was gone. A release clause of 222 million euros, a figure that once looked beyond any buyer's reach, had proved no barrier to the giants coming for their stars.
Contracts signed or renewed after the Brazilian's exit told the story.
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Stung by the shock, Barcelona's management rethought the notion of a release clause tied to market value. Rather than set a high but payable figure, the club began pitching numbers designed to make a forced departure all but impossible.
Astronomical clauses
The shift showed up fast in the contracts of the team's stars. Lionel Messi's clause climbed to 700 million euros at the time, while Gerard Piqué and Sergio Busquets both saw theirs set at 500 million euros.
Ousmane Dembélé, Philippe Coutinho and Arthur Melo carried release clauses of 400 million euros. Sergi Roberto's rose from 40 million to 500 million euros, and Samuel Umtiti's from 60 million to 500 million.
By 2019, Barcelona went further still, writing an 800 million euro release clause into Antoine Griezmann's contract. It did not end there. In October 2021, the club officially announced that Pedri's new deal carried a release clause worth one billion euros.
Ansu Fati followed suit. His contract, renewed in October 2021 until 2027, also included a one billion euro clause.
In April 2022, Barcelona announced that Ronald Araújo's new deal likewise carried a one billion euro release clause, and Gavi joined the same list that September.
Lamine Yamal was next. In October 2023, the club confirmed the Spaniard's contract, running until June 2026, included a release clause worth one billion euros.
The Abdelkarim file
That brings us to Barcelona's stance on Egyptian striker Hamza Abdelkarim, one of the most striking young talents to emerge at the club of late.
His current release clause sits at just 15 million euros, a figure Barcelona now regard as low given his development and the mounting interest in him.
Spanish reports recently claimed the Blaugrana want to lift the clause to 150 million euros, ten times its current value, as part of a new contract on improved terms for the player.
Abdelkarim's potential clause falls well short of the one billion euros Barcelona set for Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal. Even so, it reflects the same thinking, scaled to suit an Egyptian who has not yet turned 18.
The move also follows Barcelona's recent experience with Pedro Fernández Sarmiento, known as Dro, who left for Paris Saint-Germain last January after his 6 million euro release clause was paid. Barcelona branded it a "betrayal".
The Catalan newspaper "Sport" reported that the manner of the attacking midfielder's exit cut deep at the club. Hansi Flick voiced his regret at the time, saying: "If someone wants to play for Barcelona, he must live and breathe the club's colours with all his being".
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