How much do Schalke gain from Malick Thiaw’s transfer to Newcastle?

Former Schalke and AC Milan centre-back Malick Thiaw has completed his transfer to Newcastle – and Schalke profit from this deal, due to a sell-on-clause. But how much do they get?

Newcastle United have made Malick Thiaw one of the most expensive German defenders ever (top 5 list down below). The Magpies finalized the transfer of the 24-year-old center back from AC Milan at the beginning of the week for €35 million plus €5 million in bonus payments, with Thiaw signing a contract until 2029.

The interesting detail: his former club, FC Schalke 04, will also earn a substantial amount from the high transfer fee. So, how much are they getting from their sell-on-clause?

According to reports, Schalke will receive 10% of the set transfer fee and will also benefit from FIFA’s solidarity mechanism for the international transfer of its home-grown player. This will net the club a little over €3 million.

AC Milan bought Thiaw in 2022 for around €9 million from Schalke, meaning that die Königsblauen have now received over €12 million in total for their former centre-back.

Looking at Schalke’s transfer balance this season, they have now received €5.25 million in transfer fees, while only spending €650k – great numbers for a club in the 2. Bundesliga.

Top 5 most expensive German centre-backs ever (according to Transfermarkt):

1. Shkodran Mustafi (€41 million, Valencia → Arsenal in 2016)
2. Thilo Kehrer (€37 million, Schalke → PSG in 2018)
3. Malick Thiaw (€35 million, AC Milan → Newcastle in 2025)
4. Antonio Rüdiger (€35 million, AS Roma → Chelsea in 2017)
5. Mats Hummels (€35 million, Dortmund → FC Bayern in 2016)