Have 2 or more teams ever conspired to drive up the price of certain players?

[horsechoker]

Like at an auction when you have a plant who will engage in a bidding war to drive up the price.

Has this ever happened in football?

 

[georgipep]

Like at an auction when you have a plant who will engage in a bidding war to drive up the price.

Has this ever happened in football?

I wouldn't be surprised but how would the other clubs know? Unlike auctions, bids for players are private and even if they call the suspected club, how would they trust them that they are telling the truth whatever they've told them?

 

[manutddjw]

Closest I can think of with concrete evidence is Sir Alex’s comments about Charlie Adam’s corners alone are worth 10 million when Liverpool were interested. I don’t think it was pre-arranged with Blackpool though.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Man City Lucy have planted the idea they were interested in Fred and Sanchez. They had the last laugh there.

 

[Nickelodeon]

I don't know for sure but the Cancelo and Danilo deal between City and Juventus seemed quite shady. Cancelo at 60 million was still believable considering that was the default price for a City fullback. But why anyone would pay 30 odd million for Danilo was quite strange?!

Similarly, the Arthur and Pjanic swap also seems a bit shady.

 

[Spiersey]

I don't know for sure but the Cancelo and Danilo deal between City and Juventus seemed quite shady. Cancelo at 60 million was still believable considering that was the default price for a City fullback. But why anyone would pay 30 odd million for Danilo was quite strange?!

Similarly, the Arthur and Pjanic swap also seems a bit shady.

Those deals are done for FFP. Incoming transfer fees count in full for that years income. Outgoing (buying players) fees are spread across the length of a contract (e.g £60 mil fee on a 5 year deal is £12 million a year in costs). It's just clever accounting really, the Arthur deal allows both clubs to balance the books and possibly spend money on other players.

 

[Robbie Boy]

Closest I can think of with concrete evidence is Sir Alex’s comments about Charlie Adam’s corners alone are worth 10 million when Liverpool were interested. I don’t think it was pre-arranged with Blackpool though.

Still find it absolutely hilarious that Liverpool bought Adam and that people on here used to rate him. Crazy times.

 

[United58]

Still find it absolutely hilarious that Liverpool bought Adam and that people on here used to rate him. Crazy times.

He was great in highlight reels though due to his set pieces.

Disgusting player, almost snapped Gareth Bale's ankle in half back in about 2011, absolute scumbag

 

[Halftrack]

Like at an auction when you have a plant who will engage in a bidding war to drive up the price.

Has this ever happened in football?

It's been said that City bid for Berbatov, knowing full well that he wouldn't want the transfer, in order to drive up the price for us. Unknown as to what extent Spurs were complicit, but they were working on signing Corluka from City at the same time, so they might have been.

 

[Red_Aaron]

Probably more a case of agents causing these type of things than the clubs, I think for the most part clubs are open with each other these days as they may well want to sell something back in a subsequent season. Agents on the other hand benefit from these bidding wars over and above any other party

 

[Web of Bissaka]

Selling club can offer the player (wanting to join club A) to club B even if despite knowing well the player likely won't agree terms with B, to drive up the prices club A is willing to dish out.

^ Won't surprise me if that happened a lot already.
Rival club (club B) to club A may even willing to offer higher prices just to either (1) snatch the players away by testing the water, or (2) to make club A lose more money. No loss to the selling club for trying that strategy either, since it's generally secretive, club A won't know they are being "played". The only thing the selling club shouldn't do is to push for over-high prices that made the buying clubs pulled out of the deal so have to be caution.

So technically it's two teams "conspired" together against one team, each with their own agendas and intents. The details and confirmation of this though is difficult to get.