Loan Fee And Buy Clause Structure Confirmed
Juventus and Tottenham have agreed a deal to send Pape Matar Sarr to Turin on loan, with a buy clause attached. Juventus will pay €2 million upfront for the loan, plus a €28 million option if the move gets made permanent. That option isn’t optional in every scenario, though. Two things have to happen for it to kick in.
Juventus need to qualify for either the Europa League or the Champions League next season. On top of that, Sarr needs to play in at least half of the team’s games. If either condition falls short, Juventus just walk away having paid the loan fee and nothing else. If both land, Tottenham get a guaranteed sale worth €30 million in total.
There’s a clear reason behind the move. Juventus lost out on Franck Kessie, who went to Atalanta instead of joining up with Luciano Spalletti, and that left a hole in midfield. Khephren Thuram’s been dealing with fitness problems, and neither Teun Koopmeiners nor Weston McKennie has really settled since arriving. Sarr gives them someone who can actually handle minutes.
For Sarr, this is mostly about game time, something Tottenham just weren’t able to offer. He’d slipped down the order in north London, and Roberto De Zerbi already confirmed the player had asked to leave. He’s 23, with close to 150 appearances for Spurs behind him already, and it sounds like he pushed hard for Juventus once talks got going.
Tottenham come out of this well too. They picked Sarr up from Metz for under £15 million, so getting up to €30 million back is solid business, even with the conditions attached.
Competition Beaten, Deal Now Progressing
Juventus weren’t the only club chasing Sarr. Monaco and Besiktas both made a push, and earlier in the window Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa were linked as well. In the end, it sounds like Sarr’s own preference did most of the work. He made it known he wanted Turin, and that probably kept things moving quickly between the clubs.
The structure makes sense for both sides. Juventus don’t have to commit fully right away, which gives them room to figure out where Thuram and Koopmeiners stand fitness and form-wise. Tottenham get protection too, since they’re not stuck accepting a smaller fee down the line if Sarr leaves later, while still leaving space to negotiate performance conditions.
Personal terms are done, Tottenham have given him the go-ahead to travel to Italy, and now it’s just a matter of paperwork and a medical. Barring anything unexpected, this one should get over the line. It’ll be another addition to what’s already been a busy summer for Juventus, who’ve brought in Guglielmo Vicario and Randal Kolo Muani among others, with Sarr set to join before the window shuts.
If you’re keeping tabs on how deadline-day moves are reshaping squads across Europe, KCPredict’s transfer news hub is updating as deals get confirmed. Sky Sports and others are also covering the wider scramble as clubs try to get things done before the deadline hits.