Yeah someone (maybe Vickery) said as much. That if he was Brazilian or Argentinian he'd be worth 5 times as much, and simply by buying him his value increases hugely.
Don't be surprised to see a willy waggling contest once all this blows over. The bigger clubs still have money, and it's all about the ego. I can see a couple of them (Real for sure) seeing this as an opportunity to close the gap/increase the gap over their rivals or just show off their (love)...