Manchester United might be getting an unexpected boost to their summer transfer budget, and it’s coming from a player who barely made a ripple at Old Trafford.
Facundo Pellistri, the Uruguayan winger United signed from Penarol back in 2020 for about $9 million, is reportedly on the radar of Premier League newcomer Hull City. And thanks to a sell-on clause United smartly inserted when they sold him to Panathinaikos last summer, the Red Devils could pocket half of whatever fee Hull pays.
That clause isn’t small-time either. It’s a straight 50 percent cut of any transfer fee Panathinaikos receives for Pellistri. United also kept a buy-back option in the deal, though that seems irrelevant now given they moved on from him a while ago.
How We Got Here
Pellistri arrived as a raw 18-year-old with serious buzz around his name. United needed wingers, and they jumped at the chance to land one of Uruguay’s most promising young attackers. But the Premier League is a different beast. Instead of throwing him into the fire, United let him marinate in the U-23s, then sent him on back-to-back loans to Alaves in La Liga.
He returned to make 13 first-team appearances but never really grabbed a spot. Another loan to Granada followed in early 2024, and by the summer it was obvious he wasn’t going to break through. So United sold him to Panathinaikos for around $6.5 million — less than they paid — but the sell-on clause gave them a stake in his future value.
The Hull Connection
According to Sport 24, Hull City is seriously considering Pellistri. The report points to the close business relationship between Hull’s owner Acun Ilicali and Panathinaikos’ owner Yiannis Alafouzos as a potential deal-smoother. Those two have done business before, and it could grease the wheels here too.
Pellistri has been playing regularly in Greece and reportedly wants another crack at English football. Hull, freshly promoted to the top flight, needs proven talent. It fits on paper.
For United, the math is simple. Any transfer fee Hull pays gets cut in half, and that money goes straight into INEOS’ summer war chest. With United back in the Champions League next season and needing to strengthen in several positions, every extra million helps. Pellistri never became the player United hoped he would, but he might still help them get one who is.
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