Sheffield United take another loan from Aussie bank secured on Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale payments

United have previously took a number of loans from Macquarie, secured against their Premier League money and also parachute payments after relegation.

And Companies House documents have revealed that United have set up another agreement with Macquarie – a bank nicknamed the “Vampire Kangaroo” because of its ruthless focus on profits – based on two instalments of £8m that Arsenal owe United for Ramsdale.

Under the terms of the agreement which saw the England international goalkeeper move to the Emirates Stadium in the summer, United were owed £8m on July 31, 2022 and a further £8m a year later.

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But United’s agreement with Macquarie is understood to see them receive that cash earlier, albeit with the bank taking a chunk.

The practice is becoming increasingly common for clubs in the Covid-19 era. Premier League payments and transfer fees are commonly paid in instalments, rather than as one lump sum, and an increasing number of clubs are turning to institutions such as Macquarie to secure the money sooner – although they sacrifice a chunk of it to the banks in the process.

United suffered a dramatic drop in income after their relegation from the Premier League, while instalments on some of their big-money signings made since winning promotion from the Championship will still be owed to other clubs.

In return for providing the cash upfront, Macquarie charge a fee. Although the exact cost to United is unknown, football finance expert Kieran Maguire, from the University of Liverpool, believes clubs typically pay between six and eight per cent.

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“It isn’t cheap, but it isn’t obscene,” Maguire said.

The finance expert, the author of the popular Price of Football book, has previously told The Star that clubs’ arrangements with Macquarie follow the same principle as a payday loan.

“It's a bit more sophisticated but if you've got cashflow issues today and you have guaranteed money coming in in a month or a couple of months’ time, then banks will lend to you on the basis that when you get that guaranteed money, it's passed over to the bank,” he said previously.

The London branch of Macquarie has previously lent United an undisclosed sum of money, guaranteed against their parachute payments from the Premier League until 2023.

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