Explained: Why 'absurd' clause in Cunha's loan means Wolves must pay €50m fee after three appearances

• Buy clause activated with three appearances
• Loan deal was agreed with Atletico Madrid last month
• Wolves fighting relegation

WHAT HAPPENED? Wolves signed Cunha from Atletico Madrid at the end of December, initially bringing him on loan with an obligation to buy. No details on how the buy clause could be activated were revealed at the time.

WHAT IS CUNHA'S BUY CLAUSE? Atleti negotiated favourable terms to get Wolves to pay up, as it has now been reported by Fabrizio Romano that the English club agreed to pay the full €50m (£44m/$54m) buy clause if the forward appeared three times - a low bar he's already cleared.

WHAT THEY SAID: Cunha expressed his delight to be signing for Wolves at the end of December: “I’m excited to play in the Premier League, to play in Wolverhampton. And I think the most important point is that I’m happy like a kid. [Lopetegui’s] a big coach, he has a big mentality.”

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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Getty Images

THE REACTION:

Prices keep rising for Premier League clubs.

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At least Cunha has already endeared himself to fans!

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Cunha has been bright in the early going, though he did kick off a heated clash between his team and Nottingham Forest this week. The forward mocked Morgan Gibbs-White's celebration during the Carabao Cup quarter-final penalty shootout on Wednesday, which Forest's players didn't appreciate.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR CUNHA: The forward figures to be a fixture in Joan Lopetegui's side in the coming months, as Wolves look to fight their way out of the relegation zone.