We’re used to players holding all the power when it comes to transfers, but that’s not always the case.
If a big team has a player tied down to a long term contract that features a high release clause, there’s not much that anyone can do to force them to sell.
That’s currently the case with Jan Oblak at Atletico Madrid, even though The Sun reported that Chelsea were hoping to sign the Atleti man as a potential replacement for the much maligned Kepa.
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That report also suggested that Oblak has a release clause of £109m, and a recent report from Marca does make it sound like they’ll need to pay that if they want to sign him.
Marca’s report featured an interview with Atleti President Enrique Cerezo, and he had the following to say when the subject of Oblak was brought up:
“I always say that Oblak has a contract with Atletico and he’s the best goalkeeper in the world. It’s not unusual that he attracts offers from other big clubs.”
“I’ll say what I always say. Oblak has a contract, he’s an Atletico player and that’s that.”
There’s not even the slightest hint that they would be open to doing a deal or anything like that, it’s purely a case that he has a contract and that’s it.
He’s been very impressive for Atleti and does look like the complete package as a goalkeeper, but unless they give Atleti no option by paying the release clause, a transfer looks incredibly unlikely.