It makes sense that an option to buy will be included by the buying team in a loan deal, but it really doesn’t do much for the parent club.
All it does is limit the amount they can earn if the player has an outstanding season, while it can usually put an unrealistic figure on a permanent deal if it doesn’t go to plan and then they are stuck with an unwanted player again.
It may be harsh to describe Andreas Pereira as unwanted at Old Trafford but he isn’t going to be a regular starter, while his loan spell at Lazio can be described as mixed at best.
He did play in 26 league games but almost all of those came from the bench, but a report from our colleagues at the Laziali has indicated he could still go back to Rome next season.
They do quote a report from Italian radio which suggests Lazio are not willing to trigger the €27m buy-out option in the loan agreement, but they would be willing to bring him back on another loan deal next season.
He still has two years left on his United contract so another loan deal is possible, while the manager Simone Inzaghi has left for Inter Milan so he might get more chances under a new boss next season.
It’s easy to forget his season was disrupted by covid at the start of the campaign and it stopped him from linking up with his new teammates for a while, so perhaps a new manager and a pre-season at a familiar club might result in a more productive campaign next time around.