The Athletic have reported that Shakhtar Donetsk asked for £5.6m in compensation from Tottenham for Manor Solomon during recent talks.
Solomon technically joined Spurs on a free transfer this summer after he was allowed to terminate the final year of his Shakhtar contract due to the conflict in Ukraine.
LISBON, PORTUGAL – JUNE 09: Manor Solomon of Israel and FC Shakhtar Donetsk during the international friendly match between Portugal and Israel at Estadio Jose Alvalade on June 9, 2021 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
Rebecca Caplehorn, Spurs’ director of football administration and governance, met with Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin to discuss the compensation terms, with the Lilywhites happy to engage in such talks.
Palkin previously threatened to sue any club that tried to sign his players on a free transfer this summer as he believed it was unfair on the Ukrainian club.
He said (ESPN): “I contacted Solomon and his agent and invited him back to our club.
“I said ‘you can play all the games in the Champions League, you will be in the starting eleven’ but he doesn’t want to move and I believe he will stay in England.
“Finally, where he will go, I don’t know. In any case, if you go to Tottenham, we will deal with Tottenham in court in this case. Everything comes to a simple situation: it sounds like unjust enrichment.
“Can you imagine, we pay big money for this player and finally Tottenham receives him for free? It is not fair in respect of our club. We will definitely go to court and we will fight for ourselves.”
Talks are ongoing between Spurs and Shakhtar
It is said that while Tottenham did not accept the £5.6m fee, they did offer to hand Shakhtar a sell-on clause if the North London club part with Solomon in the future.
Negotiations are still ongoing between the two clubs, and Caplehorn continues to represent Tottenham while Daniel Levy is away on holiday.
Spurs and Shakhtar played a charity pre-season friendly yesterday in North London, with a minimum of €100,000 in proceeds going directly to the Shakhtar club community foundation for humanitarian projects in Ukraine.
However, this may end up being considerably higher after 56,000 tickers were sold.
Spurs Web Opinion:
Compensation for Shakhtar is more than fair. I can see why Spurs would prefer to offer something potential in the future like a sell-on clause, but the club likely need some cash now too, due to the struggles in their home country.
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