According to The Telegraph, any team that wants to bring in Brighton boss De Zerbi will have to pay up to £12 million in compensation.
The 44-year-old Brighton manager De Zerbi has caught the attention of many big clubs. Manchester United and Barcelona are likely to bring him in this summer to replace Ten Hag and Xavi.
However, Brighton have set a release clause of £12 million for the Italian manager, with De Zerbi on contract until 2026, which means he will have to pay £12 million if they want to bring him in.
Brighton want to protect themselves from poaching by big clubs such as Chelsea.
De Zerbi's cost, while small compared to the player, would be a huge sum for a club that is not willing to pay too much for the manager. This reflects De Zerbi's good reputation as a coach in football. Pep Guardiola is very fond of the Italian manager, who has said that De Zerbi is destined to join a big club.
Guardiola said earlier in the season: "I'm sure De Zerbi can coach in any team and I don't have any doubts. He can coach all teams at Brighton and around the world. He is top and I was appointed as Barcelona first team coach from the fourth division with no experience. It doesn't mean that he has to be at a top club to be the head coach of a top club".
Brighton will once again impress world football on the big stage this week when they face Roma in Europe.
Before Christmas, De Zerbi revealed he was in talks with Brighton over a new contract. He said: "I usually work for pleasure and enjoyment and I feel good at Brighton. I have a great relationship with the players, the club, Toney (chairman), Paul (CEO), David (technical director) and everyone who works at Brighton. Yes, we are talking about a new contract, but at the moment we are only talking about it, but it is not done yet. ”