THERE are no guarantees in football but selling teenager Darryl Ombang to Leeds could prove a very fruitful move for City.

The details of the 16-year-old goalkeeper’s move to Elland Road have not been made public. In fact, there has been no official announcement of the transfer from either club.

But it is fair to assume that the deal will have been structured along the lines of Oli McBurnie’s departure to Swansea in 2015 – a six-figure fee up front with various add-ons based on appearances and achievements with a sell-on clause from any future transfer.

In an ideal world, the Bantams would be very reluctant to lose a promising young talent who has already earned England recognition at under-16 level.

But which youngster would not be swayed if a Premier League club came knocking?

And, as has been shown, moving on young assets has been a vital and profitable source of income for City in recent times.

Figures suggest that the Bantams have banked around £9 million in player sales in the last 15 years – the vast majority of that from windfalls they have received further down the line as part of the package agreed at the time.

Here are the deals that have proved to be the most lucrative for City.

OLI McBURNIE

Nobody had heard the words Covid or pandemic when the teenage striker was sold to Swansea in the summer of 2015.

Limited to a few senior opportunities by Phil Parkinson when injuries bit, City gratefully accepted the £250,000 they received up front from the Welsh club.

But the real money – and the impact it had in softening the massive financial hit from playing behind closed doors – would be apparent in the years that followed.

As per the conditions in the contract, the Bantams bagged another £50,000 when McBurnie made his second appearance in the Premier League.

But it was the 15 per cent sell-on clause they had negotiated that would really hit the jackpot.

It is coming up to the second anniversary of McBurnie’s move to Bramall Lane for a Blades club record of £19.85 million.

That meant a pay-out, taking off the previous cash, of just over £3.2 million in total for City – the second dollop of that arriving last season and going a long way in helping owner Stefan Rupp during a rocky year without fans.

NAHKI WELLS

The Bermudian may not have come through the system but the Riasa product turned out to be another very profitable export.

His switch across the M62 to Huddersfield in 2014 did not go down well at the time – even more so when a transfer fee of “just” £1.3 million was revealed for the 53-goal scorer.

But that figure was soon inflated with goal and appearance bonuses and a further £250,000 when the Terriers won promotion to the Premier League.

Wells was not involved with Huddersfield in the top flight – but a subsequent £5 million exit for Burnley earned City around another £500,000 and took the final tally for him up to £2.3 million.

FABIAN DELPH

The England international was only 11 when he left Valley Parade to join the Leeds academy – just as Ombang has done.

Delph left for a minimal amount in September 2001 but it was the add-ons and sell-on clause that would work out very nicely for City.

When the midfielder was sold to Aston Villa for £6.25 million eight years later, City were entitled to a 12.5 per cent cut.

They also benefitted from an eighth of the profit Leeds made from further clauses in the deal for Villa qualifying for Europe and Delph signing a new long-term contract.

The former Tong pupil’s worth to his hometown club eventually rose to £1.1 million.

ANDRE WISDOM

Wisdom joined Liverpool from City in 2008 as a 14-year-old for £50,000.

The Bantams got further instalments of the same amount when he signed his first two contracts as a scholar as well as another one-off payment of £25,000.

Bonuses based on Liverpool appearances topped up the tally by a further £100,000 as well as a £40,000 loan fee when he joined West Brom.

More appearance-based money was topped up with a further 20 per cent bonus guaranteed from any loan or sale figure.

By the time Wisdom had joined Derby in 2017 for an estimated £2 million, earning City another £400,000, his original club were around £1 million richer.

GEORGE GREEN

The precocious 15-year-old was tipped to be “another Wayne Rooney or Paul Gascoigne” by the late Archie Christie when City sold him to Everton in 2011.

The Bantams received £300,000 up front – with the hope of that fee rocketing towards £2 million with appearance and contract clauses, including an international one, and another hefty sell-on.

But Green’s career failed to materialise because of alcohol and drug addiction and he left Everton four years later without playing a single senior game.