The Athletic reporter Tim Spiers has recently discussed the finances behind Diogo Jota’s departure from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Liverpool.
On Saturday, it was revealed that the Portuguese attacker had departed Molineux to sign a five-year deal with Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.
As per BBC Sport’s report, it was touted that it was a £41m deal that had seen the 23-year-old forward move to Anfield, which could rise to £45m due to add-ons.
The fee is seemingly a hefty amount above Jota’s market value, which stands at £25.2m, according to Transfermarkt.
In the latest episode of The Athletic’s The Molineux View podcast, Spiers shed some light on the finances of the deal.
He said: “The key to getting it done quickly was Wolves’ flexibility on this. Wolves will only receive £4m this year for Diogo Jota, which is peanuts.
“However – this is why they’ve been able to get the £45m that they will get from Liverpool – I think Wolves would probably have accepted a fee of around £30/35m straight up, flat fee.
“But Liverpool, who had been looking at [Ismaïla] Sarr from Watford before feeling that deal wasn’t right for them financially, they don’t have the disposable funds for that this summer.
“So, they haven’t got a lot of disposable income right now, but in time, Wolves will get that £41m minimum, perhaps £45m with add-ons.
“So, it’s an agreement that suits all parties, which is quite rare these days. I think it’s an outstanding financial deal for Wolves.”
TIF Thoughts…
As can be seen in what the journalist had to say, he believes that the deal which has seen Jota leave Molineux is one that ‘suits all parties’.
Do you think Wolves got a good deal for Diogo Jota?
No, he's worth more
Yes, it's a good deal
During his first two league seasons with the Old Gold, Jota picked up impressive average ratings of 7.32/10 during the 2017/18 term in the Championship and 6.89/10 during the 2018/19 Premier League campaign (per WhoScored).
However, after the Portuguese attacker slightly dropped off last season and only delivered a 6.76/10 average rating in the Premier League, it does seem to be a good deal for Wolves – particularly when considering that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will eventually be receiving somewhere in the region of at least £15m above what Jota’s current market value stands at.