Journalist Sacha Tavolieri has confirmed that Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk are demanding £5.6 million in compensation from Tottenham Hotspur for Israeli attacking midfielder Manor Solomon.
The 24-year-old joined Spurs for free last month on a five-year deal having spent last term on loan at Fulham, but his contract with Shakhtar was due to expire on December 31, 2023, and the club were hoping to extend his deal.
Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin and Tottenham director of football administration and governance Rebecca Caplehorn have held a meeting, and the North London club want to include a sell-on fee in Solomon’s contract instead of paying the compensation.
Talks will continue between both clubs in a bid to find an agreement, and they will hope to solve things amicably as opposed to going the legal route after Palkin claimed earlier this year that teams who attempted to sign Shakhtar players without paying a fee would be charged to court.
FIFA ruled in May that foreign players based in Ukraine or Russia would be able to suspend their contracts again for a further year after an initial ruling in March 2022 following the ongoing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It was extended in June 2022 for a further 12 months, and with Solomon’s contract currently suspended, his Shakhtar agreement would lapse at the end of the year, meaning he was able to join Spurs for free.
The former Maccabi Petah Tikva star bagged five goals in 24 games across all competitions for Fulham last term and was always keen on remaining in the Premier League after his loan deal ended, and he will be looking to force his way into manager Ange Postecoglou’s plans.
Tottenham start the new Premier League season against Brentford on Sunday and their Australian boss wants them to hit the ground running in a bid to finish strongly after a disappointing campaign which saw them end eighth last term and miss out entirely on Europe.
