Size of Hibernian's sell-on clause for Watford man Ryan Porteous emerges | OneFootball

Hibernian managed to insert a sell-on clause believed to be around 20% when they sold Ryan Porteous to Championship side Watford, according to the Scotsman.

The 24-year-old made the switch from the Scottish Premiership side back in January when he had just a matter of months remaining on his contract north of the border, something that forced Lee Johnson's men to cash in on him to avoid losing him for nothing.

There were no shortage of sides interested in his signature and that didn't help Johnson in his quest to retain him, with Blackburn Rovers believed to have submitted a bid for him and other English second-tier sides reported to have been keen on him.

How much did Watford pay for him?

Considering he only had six months left on his contract when he made this switch, Hibs weren't exactly in the strongest position at the negotiating table and this is perhaps why it's a surprise they managed to insert such a hefty sell-on clause.

However, the Hornets paid just £300,000 for him according to The Athletic and that's a bargain considering how much of a good impression he has made since his arrival in Hertfordshire.

Also managing to establish himself as an important international for Scotland, he was certainly one of the best signings of Slaven Bilic's reign and it could be a signing that ends up paying dividends not just now, but also in the future.

£300,000 is nothing in today's market, even with the financial effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, so the Hornets will be very satisfied with this signing.

Will he attract interest from elsewhere?

It's perhaps slightly early to be talking about an exit considering he only arrived at Vicarage Road in the winter - but he could easily attract interest from elsewhere if he continues to impress and his side stay in the second tier.

Top-flight clubs may see the Hornets as vulnerable this summer with Joao Pedro and Ismaila Sarr likely to be on many clubs' radars if speculation involving the duo in recent months is anything to go by.

But Porteous is another player that may appear on top-tier clubs' radars, with the fact he's 24 and only likely to get better potentially persuading teams to put him on their respective shortlists.

The Verdict

This 20% sell-on clause is excellent business and although the Hornets could be criticised for accepting that, they may not have been able to get this deal over the line if they hadn't accepted this condition.

Johnson's side were likely to have received many approaches for him, so Chris Wilder's side may have decided to accept this clause to ensure they could recruit him for a bargain deal.

Tying him down to a four-and-a-half-year deal as well, they could attract a sizeable fee for him in the future and make a decent amount of revenue, even if a chunk of the fee goes to Porteous' former club.

With this in mind, this winter deal probably worked out for the best for all parties, even though Hibs would have wanted to sell him for a higher amount.

You can't help but feel interest from elsewhere helped the Scottish outfit push the clause up to 20% but even with that in mind, their negotiators did an excellent job because he's likely to be sold on for a decent amount in the future.