Saido eyes his own Euro exit to leave Albion counting the cost
ALBION striker Saido Berahino is exploring the possibility of signing a pre-contract deal with a foreign club in January before returning to the Premier League side of his choice next summer
e striker is out of contract with Albion in June and the Birmingham Post understands he is considering a move to either Italy or Spain before returning to England on loan in July.
Berahino is likely to see out the remaining year of his contract with Albion after the club turned down bids from Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Stoke City during the past 12 months.
The Baggies would be entitled to a fee due to Berahino not turning 24 until next August.
There has been talk that Albion’s compensation package for the a divisional rival at the end of his Burundi-born forward could contract, which would leave Albion exceed the record paid by Liverwith a healthier compensation pool for Danny Ings last year – but agreement. there is a hitch. A player coming to the end of his
Should Berahino sign a contract current deal can talk with foreign with a foreign club in January, the clubs and sign a pre-contract in fee Albion would be entitled to January, but is not allowed to conwould be a fraction of the £8 milverse with English sides. lion Burnley will eventually receive . Any such deal would come into for Ings. force from July 1 and his new
FIFA has provided clubs with a employer will have to pay Albion fixed tariff for compensation when compensation within FIFA’s fixed players under the age of 24 move tariff. Once he has joined the club between clubs in two different abroad, he would be able to sign a countries. And our understanding loan deal with a Premier League is that the fee Albion would get for club the following day. Berahino would not exceed €1 milThis deal would include an lion, which equates to a little over option to buy Berahino in one of £830,000. the two following windows – the fee
The best hope Albion have of would be no more than €4 million. landing a substantial sum of money Effectively, he could be on the for the player they have reared books of three different clubs in since the age of 11 is to offload him three consecutive days. in January to a Premier League The maximum number of clubs a rival. He could still move directly to player can play for during one sea- son is two, with the new campaign, transfer-wise, commencing in July.
There are apparently eight Premier League sides eager to take him on such a deal.
There are also two high-profile Italian sides who finished in the top five in Serie A and who want to sign the former England under-21 man while an unnamed La Liga side is thought to be interested.
Berahino is evidently disgruntled by Albion’s lack of co-operation with Stoke and, in particular, Tottenham, whom he wanted to join in summer 2015.
Berahino is believed to earn around £20,000 a week at Albion, with those terms set in 2013.
The European option would depend on Albion’s willingness to sell him in January. If the club is willing to offload him to the Premier League side of his choice, then he would be unlikely to go for such an exit strategy.