For some time now, Barça has been keeping percentages of future sales of their "escaped" footballers in order to not lose control over them and to keep bringing in money. This formula is helping them to increase their coffers at a time of greatest need, and now it's what has just happened with the definitive sale of Jean-Claire Todibo. The Frenchman has definitively left Nice to head to West Ham, which has paid the mandatory clause agreed upon in his loan deal.
Todibo "leaves" Barça for good: €8M
At 25 years old, Todibo has chosen to leave for the Premier League for good. To keep him permanently, West Ham has paid €40 million ($43.6M), of which 20% goes to Barça. In 2021, the Catalan side let the Frenchman go for €8.5 million ($9.2M), keeping the named percentage of a future sale that has now arrived, four years later. This has been very well received by Laporta and the sporting management.
These €8 million ($8.7M) that are coming in now are accounted for in the 2024-25 fiscal year, directly impacting LaLiga's financial fair play.
Barça profits from Todibo
Despite not performing as was desired during his time with FC Barcelona, the reality is that Jean-Claire Todibo has been a great operation from an economic standpoint. In January 2019, he arrived at the Catalan team from Toulouse for just €1 million ($1.1M), moving up his departure from France by six months before his contract ended.
To these €8 million ($8.7M) now received from his transfer to West Ham, you have to add the €8.5 million ($9.2M) collected in 2021. You also have to add the €3.5 million ($3.8M) that were invoiced for his loans to Schalke 04 (2020) and Benfica (2021).
Since his arrival at Barça in 2019, Jean-Claire Todibo would only end up playing five official matches: 2 in the 2018-19 season and 3 in 2019-20. In total, he landed in the capital of Catalonia for just €1 million ($1.1M), and has ended up leaving with €19 million ($20.7M) in profits.
This definitive move to West Ham marks Todibo's total "break" with Barça: a center-back who arrived with high hopes and wasn't given a real chance. At the very least, from an economic perspective, it has ended up being a very positive operation.