SWINDON Town technical director Sandro Di Michele says those hoping to see Swindon Town splash the cash in the transfer market following Scott Twine’s summer switch will have to check expectations.
The former Town forward completed a move to Championship side Burnley from Milton Keynes Dons for an undisclosed fee on Sunday, with Swindon holding a 20 per cent sell-on fee after the 22-year-old’s departure from the County Ground 12 months prior.
Adver Sport understands the fee Burnley paid MK to be between £3.5 and £4 million with £1.5 million in ‘achievable’ add-ons, likely based on appearances, goals, and the Clarets returning to the Premier League.
But for those fans expecting a healthy six-figure sum to be in Town’s bank account within days – available to spend on players in order to fuel a promotion charge – Di Michele had some rather unwelcome news.
He said: “I won’t tell you the figure, but I can tell you it will be paid to the club over the duration of Scott’s deal (four-year contract).
“If you look at the way most transfers are structured these days, that’s how it works now. Clubs are shrewd, so the idea that clubs pay a lump sum up front simply doesn’t happen like that, or very rarely.
“Even if you’re dealing with a Manchester City, the sums are bigger but the costs are still spread over as long a period as possible, and that means sell-on fees are the same.”
The variables involved in the Twine deal mean Town could ultimately pull in anything from £1.1 million to £700,000 over the next four seasons.
However, those figures do not include agents’ fees and other football-related costs which reduce the total figure Town will be entitled to.
Regardless of the number Swindon do receive though, Di Michele has promised fans it will be spent wisely as the club continues its rebuild from the ground up.
Di Michele said: “Whatever figure we’re getting will be paid out over the duration of the deal.
“And every single penny of that is going to be reinvested back into the club by either servicing debts or investment into other parts of the football club such as the County Ground or the training ground.
“Some of that will go into the playing budget as well, but we want to be sensible with how we use the money so it properly benefits the club in the long run.”
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