Willy Kambwala leaves Manchester United for Villarreal in €11.5m deal
Willy Kambwala has moved from Manchester United to Villarreal in a €11.5 million (£9.6 million) transfer. The decision to sell the young 19-year-old defender was made by United after he turned down the opportunity to sign a new contract.
United have decided to keep the option to buy back Kambwala for the next three years. He still had one year left on his current contract. They are also entitled to a portion of the profits if he is sold to another team.
This mirrors the transfer in May of Álvaro Fernández to Benfica, where the Portuguese club activated a £5m purchase option for the Spanish left-back. In addition, last week, Donny van de Beek departed for Girona in a deal that could reach €9.1m and involves a significant percentage of any future transfer fee.
Kambwala signed for United in October 2020 after playing for the French second-division team Sochaux. He played his first game in December, a 2-0 defeat against West Ham, and finished the season with a total of 10 appearances. He was also on the bench as an unused substitute in the 2-1 FA Cup final win against Manchester City. Villarreal, who came in eighth place in La Liga last season, paid a fee of €5.5m for Kambwala, with an additional €6m in potential add-ons.
