Five days after Manchester United expressed dissatisfaction with Chelsea's conduct, they agreed on a £55million fee for Mason Mount, rising to £60m.
United sources say football director John Murtough "held the line and did a really good deal" after the club had a £55m offer rejected last week. Yesteryear, United might have buckled and overpaid.
As of yesterday afternoon, United were still negotiating around the margins of a £55m deal and refused to stray close to the £65m Chelsea were holding out for. United do not want to compromise their budget when a new No.9 is essential.
Murtough pushed back against the 'United tax' the club have been levied with since Ed Woodward's first major deal, Marouane Fellaini. In 2013, Fellaini had a £23m release clause in his Everton contract but the new United manager David Moyes was hesitant about making a former player his first signing.
Also read: Players and fans have got what they needed with Mount
The clause expired at the end of July and in mid-August United offered £28m for Fellaini and Leighton Baines, described as "derisory and insulting" by Everton. Fellaini eventually arrived on a chaotic deadline day for £27.5m.
One club executive told Murtough last year, "You're Manchester United. You've got loads of money." United ended interest in a player, believed to be Benjamin Sesko, after they were quoted almost double the fee RB Leipzig paid to Red Bull Salzburg.
Mount, 24, has played 13 times this calendar year and enters the last year of his Chelsea contract on Saturday. Chelsea this week banked £65m from Arsenal for Kai Havertz, who had two years remaining on his contract.
That left Chelsea with little wiggle room. Havertz, the same age as Mount, was more prominent for Chelsea last season, starting in seven of their 10 Champions League matches and in 30 of their 38 Premier League fixtures. Mount started 10 games fewer in the league due to a pelvis problem and was restricted to five starts in Europe.
Both sides will be able to spin the fee positively but United did not meet Chelsea's demand of £58m and £7m in add-ons.
Sources familiar with the breakdown of the deal say Mount would have to win multiple major trophies over the forthcoming seasons to trigger the £5m in add-ons.
Since their takeover by Clearlake Capital, Chelsea have become synonymous with amortisation - gradually writing off the cost of a player over the length of their contract.
Should the £5m add-ons be triggered, United will be delighted as Mount will have contributed to tangible success greater than a League Cup and third-place finish. Mount has agreed a five-year deal, with the option of an additional year, so the £60m fee over six years works out at an average of £10m per season.
United manager Erik ten Hag and the club's recruitment department are aligned on the choice of Mount. Ten Hag was adamant a younger midfielder had to be one of United's two priority positions this summer. Frenkie de Jong remains wedded to Barcelona and Jude Bellingham, hugely admired by Ten Hag, was presented by Real Madrid earlier this month.
Mount is still on holiday and is due to undergo a medical at United's Carrington training complex next week.
