FC Bayern didn’t just generate revenue by selling its own players during the last summer transfer window. Transfers involving former Munich pros also brought in additional revenue. One of them is Omar Richards, whose time with the record-holding champions left little of a mark on the field.
The Englishman joined Munich on a free transfer from Reading FC in 2021. However, the left back was unable to establish himself at Bayern Munich and made only 17 competitive appearances in his sole season there.
After just one year, the two parties parted ways. Nottingham Forest signed Richards and transferred just under ten million euros to Munich. For Bayern, the deal was already extremely lucrative at the time: The player had arrived on a free transfer and, shortly thereafter, brought in a sum in the millions.
Bayern receives around 300,000 euros
However, this did not mark the end of the Richards chapter for FC Bayern from a financial standpoint. Upon his sale to Nottingham, the Munich club reportedly secured a 15 percent share of any future transfer fee.
This clause is now paying off. Richards has left Nottingham and joined Aris Thessaloniki. The transfer to Greece is said to have fetched around two million euros. Based on the agreed share of proceeds, FC Bayern would be entitled to additional revenue of approximately 300,000 euros from this deal.
Measured against the usual transfer sums at Säbener Straße, this is certainly not a massive amount. It is nevertheless noteworthy that Bayern is once again profiting from the now 28-year-old’s transfer, years after his departure.
Irankunda, too, is bringing Bayern millions
The fact that resale profit-sharing clauses can pay off became even clearer this summer in the case of Nestory Irankunda. The former Bayern youth player transferred from Watford FC to Sporting Lisbon for just under 15 million euros.
In Irankunda’s case as well, the Munich club had secured a share of the proceeds from his previous sale. As a result, reports indicate that an additional 7.5 million euros flowed into Munich.
Such clauses have thus become a factor in player sales that should not be underestimated. Bayern not only benefits directly from transfer fees but can also earn additional revenue years later when former players continue to develop and change clubs again.
In total, the Munich club took in more than 50 million euros last summer from numerous departures. The Richards case shows that even transfers completed long ago can continue to generate smaller additional revenues.