Tottenham Hotspur are getting £53m for the transfer of Kyle Walker to Manchester City. That in itself represents a world record fee for a defender, topping the £50m that Chelsea earned when they sold David Luiz to PSG three years ago.

That’s incredible enough, but there’s more. According to the Times of London, the deal is not structured with equal payments over the lifetime of the player’s five year contract, as is standard. Instead, Manchester City are expected to pay a staggering £45m as an upfront fee.

The Times understands that City have agreed to pay Spurs an initial fee of £45 million. In 12 months’ time, City will pay the London club an installment of £5 million, with another £4 million due in add-ons. That would surpass the £50 million Chelsea received for David Luiz when they sold him to Paris Saint-Germain in 2014. The signing of Walker is welcome news for Guardiola, the City head coach, after another target, Dani Alves, snubbed him this week in favour of a move to Paris Saint-Germain. — Paul Hirst, The Times

That’s amazing. Someone will no doubt correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s super not common. In fact, I can’t remember hearing about a transfer involving two English teams where the up front fee is that high. That also means that the bulk of that transfer fee can be reinvested immediately in the club for additional signings in this window. Whether or not Spurs needed to sell before they buy, they now have some extra cash to play with.

You may or may not agree with the club’s decision to strengthen a rival for the title by selling within the Premier League, but Daniel Levy has used his negotiating skills to essentially squeeze blood from a stone.