From The Telegraph:
Leeds United are highly unlikely to receive the full £30 million for the
sale of Rio Ferdinand to Manchester United.
For that to happen Manchester United will need to sweep the board by winning
the Champions League, Premiership and FA Cup Treble plus the Worthington
Cup - not once, but twice in the next five years. Even ardent Manchester
United supporters are not expecting that to happen.
Telegraph Sport can reveal that Leeds did not receive £30 million on selling
Ferdinand. They agreed £26 million - half when the deal was signed in July
and the other half to be paid by next July.
The remaining £4 million, according to the Leeds accounts, are dependent
"upon the performance of Manchester United Football Club".
A note in the accounts, where this intriguing information is provided, does
not say what this performance has to be.
But Telegraph Sport understands that this means United winning the Treble -
with a very small sum allocated for winning the Worthington Cup - twice
within five years.
It is not unusual for transfer fees to be dependent on the number of
appearances a player makes or the goals he scores. But this is believed to
be the first time a whole team performance has determined a transfer fee.
Telegraph Sport also understands that when Leeds were negotiating with
Manchester United about the sale of Ferdinand, Leeds were keen to be able to
tell their fans that he was sold for £30 million. One insider said: "There
needed to be a '3' before the figure."
After a lot of haggling United agreed but set what is certainly the toughest
transfer condition ever.