Man Utd secretly inserted Mason Greenwood buyback clause into Marseille deal

Mason Greenwood’s Manchester United career might not be over after the club inserted a buyback clause into the deal which sent him to Marseille.

Greenwood joined Marseille on a five-year contract on Thursday after the French side agreed to pay United £26.6million for his services. The 22-year-old striker has left his boyhood club permanently after spending last season on loan with Getafe.

He left for Spain last summer after United conducted an internal investigation, which concluded Greenwood would play no further role for the club. Greenwood was charged with attempted rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in October 2022.

Those charges were dropped in February 2023 by the Crown Prosecution Service, who said “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction”, but led to his departure from United by mutual agreement. United included a sizable sell-on clause in the transfer agreement with Marseille, but they have also left the door open for a potential return in the future.

The Telegraph reports that such a clause being inserted is commonplace when selling academy graduates and it is very unlikely United will exercise it in the future. Yet they were not compelled to do so and its existence suggests United might go back on their original decision to expel Greenwood.

In a statement last August, United said: United said: "All those involved, including Mason, recognise the difficulties with him recommencing his career at Manchester United. It has therefore been mutually agreed that it would be most appropriate for him to do so away from Old Trafford, and we will now work with Mason to achieve that outcome.

"Based on the evidence available to us, we have concluded that the material posted online did not provide a full picture and that Mason did not commit the offences in respect of which he was originally charged. That said, as Mason publicly acknowledges today, he has made mistakes which he is taking responsibility for."

At his first press conference as a Marseille player Greenwood stressed that he won’t speak about the past following a backlash from some fans and the city’s mayor. "I understand the questions, I don't want to talk about it too much or get into debates and controversies,” he said.

“I already spoke about it on Thursday with the supporters and I spoke about it last season. I want to move forward, I want to be part of Olympique de Marseille. My intention is really to concentrate on the football part. The staff and players told me about the foundation, associations and hospital visits and like the other players I will participate in these initiatives.

"This season I will try to play well for Marseille, at the Velodrome in front of fantastic fans. I have been waiting for this for a while and I can't wait to play in front of this crowd. For the moment I am focused on what I have to do with my club."