FC Schalke 04 is also benefiting from Rodrigo Zalazar’s record-breaking move to Sporting Lisbon. The Royal Blues had secured a share of any future transfer fee when the Uruguayan left for Braga in 2023 and can now look forward to a windfall.
After Schalke’s relegation to the 2. Bundesliga in 2023, promotion hero Rodrigo Zalazar was impossible to keep for the Royal Blues. Despite declarations of affection, the move to Sporting Braga made perfect sporting sense. The cost at the time: six million euros. Three years later, FC Schalke 04 has not only secured its return to the Bundesliga but is also benefiting from Zalazar once again.
With 16 goals and five assists, the Uruguayan led Sporting Braga to fourth place in the Portuguese league, thereby also attracting the attention of Sporting Lisbon. The fallen champions are investing a club-record sum of 30 million euros for Zalazar.
Schalke receives 2.4 million euros
However, since the Gelsenkirchen-based club secured a 10% sell-on clause nearly three years ago, another 2.4 million euros will be transferred to the club’s account. Schalke’s share consists of the difference between the transfer fee in 2023 and the amount now paid by Lisbon to Braga.
In northern Portugal, Zalazar would have remained under contract until 2028. With Braga, the 26-year-old failed to reach the Europa League final just last week. After a 2-1 victory in the first leg against SC Freiburg, Braga lost 1-3 in the second leg after playing with a man down for much of the match. Zalazar himself missed a penalty in the first leg and also failed to make an impact in the match in Breisgau, when he missed the chance to pull one back to 1-2 before halftime.
Record transfer with a hefty buyout clause
The Portuguese capital club Sporting likely didn’t care one bit. They’re digging even deeper into their pockets for Zalazar than they did for Manuel Ugarte, whom they once signed from Famalicao for 24.5 million euros, or Viktor Gyökeres (signed from Coventry City for 24 million euros). Ugarte now plays for Manchester United, and Gyökeres for Arsenal. Their subsequent sales to the Premier League also brought in a windfall for Sporting.
Zalazar’s new contract also includes a hefty buyout clause, as Sporting announced: a suitor would have to pay 80 million euros to buy the former Schalke player out of his contract, which runs until 2031.