Liverpool could reportedly receive an additional £500,000 from the deal that took Joe Allen to Stoke City for £13m last summer.
The Welshman has relished his move to the Britannia after failing to secure regular football under Jurgen Klopp, making 30 appearances in the Premier League as an ever-present part of Mark Hughes’ side.
Having scored six goals and provided three assists in that time, he’s proven to be a valuable asset for the Potters, but it could come at a greater cost to them.
As reported by The Telegraph, Stoke will have to shell out an additional £500,000 if they finish in the top half of the Premier League table this season, and they are certainly still in contention to do so.
A run of three consecutive defeats has been damaging to Hughes and his men, as they have dropped to 12th and need to avoid becoming later entrants to the relegation dogfight as they’re just eight points above 18th-placed Swansea City.
In contrast, a win over Liverpool this weekend combined with results elsewhere could lift them to ninth, and so there is still a very possibility that they will have to hand over the extra money to the Reds at the end of the season.
Allen, 27, will hope to continue to play a pivotal role for Stoke moving forward, and if he can do so and help them climb the table and obtain more success in time, then the £13.5m spent on acquiring his services will likely be all worth it.