Unión, a player-export machine: sales topping USD 40 million | OneFootball

In Argentine football, the development and subsequent transfer of players became one of the main sustainability tools for clubs that do not have the economic power of the biggest institutions. In that context, Unión has managed in recent years to consolidate a model based on promoting youth players, increasing the value of its footballers, and retaining percentages that allow it to keep generating income after a sale is completed.

Under the leadership of Luis Spahn, Club Atlético Unión has reportedly generated, since its return to the First Division, a volume of transfers exceeding USD 40 million, taking as a reference deals with amounts officially reported by the institution and those whose values were disclosed by buying clubs, organizations, or specialized media.

The process had different stages and key figures, but it maintained the same logic: betting on players developed in the youth divisions, enhancing them in the First Division, and then transferring them to the domestic or international market, while in many cases seeking to retain percentages of future sales.

More than USD 35 million in official deals

According to the records presented by the institution, deals with confirmed and net amounts represent more than USD 35.3 million, a figure that comes close to USD 35.7 million when considering the guaranteed minimum capital gain clauses.

One of the first major moves of this period came in 2019, when Unión completed the departures of Diego Zabala, Emanuel Brítez, Mauro Pittón, and Bruno Pittón to Rosario Central and San Lorenzo. The package represented gross income of USD 6,125,000 and an estimated net of USD 4,501,875.

The most important individual sale reported by the club was that of Juan Ignacio Nardoni to Racing Club in 2023. The deal was set at a net USD 4,750,000 for the rights that originally belonged to Unión, while the total amount of the operation for the buying club reached USD 6 million including taxes.

In that same transfer window, another major source of income was Imanol Machuca’s move to Fortaleza for USD 3,125,000 corresponding to 50% of the economic rights.

A year later, Kevin Zenón moved to Boca Juniors for USD 3,405,000 for 80% of his registration rights. The deal also included the acquisition of a percentage of Mauro Luna Diale’s transfer rights and the loan of Simón Rivero.

The list of relevant sales expanded with Gastón González to Orlando City for USD 2,600,000 for 70%; Joaquín Mosqueira to Talleres for USD 2,700,000 for all rights; and, more recently, Mateo Del Blanco to Racing Strasbourg in a transfer valued at USD 2,850,000.

Added to those names are deals such as Lucas Esquivel to Athletico Paranaense, Rafael Profini to Kharkiv FC, Mauro Luna Diale to Akhmat, Juan Carlos Portillo to Talleres, and Franco Soldano to Olympiacos, among others.

The income that is also part of the equation

The volume generated by Unión grows when considering deals whose amounts were not officially disclosed by the institution, but were reported by the buying clubs or by specialized media.

Within this group are transfers such as Mauricio Martínez to Rosario Central, a deal that reportedly reached USD 2,700,000; the departure of Yeimar Gómez Andrade to Seattle Sounders for a figure close to USD 1,600,000; and the transfers of Enrique Triverio to Toluca and Víctor Malcorra to Tijuana, estimated at USD 1,100,000 and USD 1,000,000, respectively.

Also included are the transfers of Diego Barisone to Lanús for around USD 600,000, and Rolando García Guerreño to the same club for about USD 500,000.

This set of deals pushes the volume generated by the transfer market to over USD 40 million since the Tatengue’s return to the top flight.

The money that could still come in

One of the most important aspects of the model implemented by Unión is related to the possibility of retaining percentages or establishing capital gain clauses in deals.

This means that a transfer does not necessarily represent the last income the club can receive for a player. If that player is sold again by his new team, Unión can obtain new compensation according to the conditions originally agreed upon.

The case of Nardoni is one of the clearest examples. After arriving at Racing, the midfielder was transferred to Brazil’s Grêmio for a figure close to USD 8 million plus variables. Based on the capital gain clause agreed in the original deal, Unión would be entitled to receive new income.

A similar situation arose with Kevin Zenón, whose subsequent transfer from Boca Juniors to Atlas of Mexico once again brought into play the percentage that Unión had retained.

Juan Carlos Portillo also appears in this equation, as his transfer from Talleres to River Plate opened the door to new income for the Santa Fe institution.

A model that turned Unión into an exporter

With different strategies and deals of varying characteristics, Unión managed to turn its academy and the appreciation of its players into one of the institution’s main sources of resources.

The process is not limited to the sales of players developed directly in the youth system. It also includes footballers who arrived from other clubs, were developed further in Santa Fe, and were later transferred, as well as deals in which the Tatengue chose to retain percentages with future negotiations in mind.

In that scenario, the transfers of Maizón Rodríguez to Russia’s Krasnodar and the situation of Thiago Cardozo with Belgrano, among other recent deals, could continue to alter the financial equation.

The balance of the period thus shows a common denominator: Unión managed to establish itself as a club capable of generating significant income from the transfer market, with a policy that combines training, development, sales, and participation in future capital gains.

For an institution that competes with budgets significantly lower than those of the leading clubs in Argentine football, that ability to turn footballers into assets is a central tool for sustaining its structure and projecting new sporting cycles.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.