Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists they have first refusal on Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi - and will seriously consider buying him back.
Sir Alex said: "He's a good player - in fact, an excellent player. It was difficult to let him go to Villarreal.
"It was based on the fact that he wanted first-team football and we couldn't guarantee him that.
"When they offered the money they did for him and we got the buy-back clause, it became attractive to us.
"We'd consider buying him back. We will keep our options open."
There is no stipulated figure which would trigger the release clause but United could end up paying more money than they received for a player whose reputation has soared since he moved to Spain.