Transfer deals are never straight forward, and when your team sell off one of your stars for a big fee, fans sometimes expect money to be reinvested in the squad straight away.
In January, Bristol City sold Antoine Semenyo to AFC Bournemouth for an undisclosed fee, which is expected to be in-and-around the £10m price range, which both parties were happy to shake hands on. Semenyo had been a top performer for the Robins, but he could not be denied his chance of playing in the Premier League, after having a taste of elite-level football when playing for Ghana in the World Cup.
Nigel Pearson admitted they wouldn't blow the budget and would be careful with how they spent their money, and they did just that with two astute buys. Anis Mehmeti, who was reportedly a target of Nottingham Forest was bought for a reasonable fee, whilst Harry Cornick joined from Luton Town, despite the Hatters' holding a better position in a push for a play-off spot.
Semenyo isn't the only big money deal City have had in the last decade or so with Josh Brownhill, Adam Webster and Lloyd Kelly all sold to teams in the Premier League. Fans never get to know how much clubs receive, with some outlets reporting transfer fees, but really it is only the buying and selling clubs, as well as their representatives who know how much a deal is worth.
Sports Interactive's popular Football Manager series tries to replicate the real-life world as best as it can, and has a dedicated team of researchers to try and reflect what is happening outside of your computer or laptop screen. When you load up the game and choose your specific team, you can explore kind of things and there is a 'Clauses' section on the transfers tab, which throws up some interesting information, though we must stress that this is only based of the game, and may not be a real reflection of how deals are actually structured.
Here, we take a look at the intriguing payment plans, sell-on clauses inserted into the transfer contract of these current and former Bristol City players:
1. Rob Atkinson
10% of his next transfer fee will be owed to Oxford Photo: Dan Isitene/Getty Images
2. Daniel Bentley
10% of his next transfer fee will be owed to Bristol City. Bristol City will be due £50k if Wolves avoid relegation from the Premier Division. Photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images
3. Josh Brownhill
Bristol City are owed another instalment January 2024 - £2m Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Image
4. Owura Edwards
10% of his next transfer fee will be owed to Newport County. Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images