Every Premier League player with a release clause, including Man Utd star and Liverpool target | OneFootball

Four Premier League players currently have release clauses in their contracts, including one of the most in-demand players in the top-flight.

A release clause in a player’s contract allows any interested clubs to skip negotiations and sign the player for a pre-determined transfer fee.

Premier League clubs used some of them last summer as Liam Delap moved to Chelsea, Eberechi Eze joined Arsenal and Matheus Cunha signed for Manchester United.

TEAMtalk have taken a look at the four current Premier League players with a release clause in their contracts. We’ve then ranked them from most likely to be triggered to least likely.

1. Antoine Semenyo – £65m

Despite being linked with a move away from Bournemouth in the summer transfer window, Semenyo decided to sign a new five-year contract at the Vitality Stadium.

The Ghana international has since made a brilliant start to the 2025/26 season, registering six goals and three assists in 12 Premier League appearances.

But his new contract contains a release clause of £65million that can be triggered in the first two weeks of the January transfer window, which would allow Bournemouth enough time to sign a replacement.

Any interested clubs would have to pay the Cherries a guaranteed fee of £60million and then another £5million in add-ons to trigger the release clause.

Manchester United and Tottenham both made approaches for the 25-year-old in the summer and could reignite their interest when the January transfer window opens.

Liverpool are also in the race for his signature and their pursuit is reportedly being led by Richard Hughes, who was technical director at Bournemouth when they signed the winger from Bristol City in January 2023.

“I don’t think about it too much,” Semenyo said when asked about the speculation. “I try to stay present as much as I can. You see the news all the time, I see it as well, I’m not oblivious, but I try to keep focused.

“I’m enjoying my football here. If I’m not scoring goals, all of that goes away. I try to stay present, do the best I can for the team, score goals and whatever happens in the future happens.

If Semenyo doesn’t move clubs in the January transfer window, the price of the release clause drops in the summer of 2026. While the exact figure hasn’t been revealed, it is understood to be in excess of £50million.

2. Bruno Fernandes – £57m

Since joining Manchester United from Sporting in January 2020, Fernandes has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League.

He was linked with a move to Al-Hilal in the summer and United could have received a fee of around £100million, exceeding the £80million Real Madrid paid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.

The Saudi Pro League side were also willing to give the Portugal international £1million-per-week in wages over a three-year contract, but he ultimately decided to stay at Old Trafford.

“I want to play at the highest possible level,” he said. “I want to play major competitions. I know I still can and I want to be happy doing the thing I love the most.

“For better or worse, this is how I see football and I’m passionate about football and this is the decision I’ve made.”

He is under contract at United at the end of the 2026/27 season, while Ruben Amorim’s side have the option to extend the deal for another 12 months.

But speculation over a possible exit has refused to go away and it was recently revealed that his contract includes a £57million release clause that becomes active next year.

The release clause can only be triggered by clubs outside of England, preventing the midfielder from making a controversial move to one of United’s Premier League rivals. It also has an unspecified deadline to be triggered by.

Alongside the ongoing interest from Saudi Arabia, it has been reported that several European clubs are monitoring his situation.

“My agent also knows how I work,” Fernandes added. “If he wants to talk to me, it will be after the [2026] World Cup. Until then, I won’t speak to anyone.”

Bruno Fernandes’ Manchester United future is under the spotlight

3. Lucas Paqueta – £85m

Paqueta joined West Ham United from Lyon in August 2022 in a deal worth a club-record £51million and helped them win the Europa Conference League during his debut season.

His impressive performances in east London attracted interest from Manchester City and they were expected to trigger the £85million release clause in his contract.

But City shelved their transfer pursuit after the Brazil international was charged with four counts of being deliberately booked to influence betting markets.

Despite being exonerated by the FA after an investigation, his stock has fallen over the last two years and clubs are now unlikely to trigger that release clause.

The 28-year-old midfielder is now valued at around £60million by West Ham and could be sold in the January transfer window to help the club raise funds.

4. Bernardo Silva – £50m

Silva has enjoyed a trophy-laden career at Manchester City, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.

He was linked with a return to former club Benfica in the last summer transfer window, but they were not willing to trigger his £50million release clause.

His contract is now set to expire at the end of the season, which means he can reach a pre-contract agreement with a non-English club in the January transfer window and the release clause won’t be triggered.

The 31-year-old Portugal international has also been linked with AC Milan, Juventus and Saudi Pro League sides but is yet to make a final decision on his future.

“As I understand it, his plan at the start of the season was to let the situation play out and decide definitively early in the new year what the best step would be,” TEAMtalk transfer insider Dean Jones said.

“He is certainly open to leaving, and obviously, as a free agent, he would have the world at his feet. In January, there will certainly be offers starting to land from outside of England.

“He will be a very difficult player to replace, but City have known that an exit is definitely possible, so we will have to see what truly drives him now in terms of ambition at this stage of his career.”