When João Paulo was signed by the Seattle Sounders back in February, it was announced that the deal was structured a bit different than previous Designated Players. Rather than paying an outright transfer fee, the Sounders would bring João Paulo in on a one-year loan with an option to buy. The initial loan fee was reported to be about $1.25 million with an equivalent payment due at the end of the year if the transfer was made permanent.
The flexibility essentially allowed the Sounders to test-drive João Paulo before committing to a long-term agreement.