It was widely reported that the fee for Lloyd Kelly was around the £13m mark when it broke early last month that the Bristolian was moving to the South Coast.
But we can reveal as per our sources that the full fee for Kelly could reach beyond £20m if all the clauses in the deal are met.
Bristol Live understand that if every criteria is satisfied then in total the deal is worth approximately £21m. That would make it the fifth biggest sale in Championship history, according to German specialist site TransferMarkt even.
Clauses regarding matches played and international recognition will affect the deal that means City gained a guaranteed fee of £13m. But if every other facet of the contract is fulfilled then the Robins will bank a huge sum - explaining why Bristol City declared the deal as a club record when it was officially announced.
Eddie Howe's side forked out an eye-watering sum to grab 20-year-old Kelly early in the transfer window - but now look to have regained that money back with the £26.5m sale of Tyrone Mings to Aston Villa more than covering the outlay on Kelly.
Bristol Live reported previously how the Cherries were keeping constant tabs on the various talents at Ashton Gate over a long period - with transfers consultant and former Sky Sports reporter Andy Burton having visited BS3 in the last seasons along with Bournemouth recruitment chiefs Richard Hughes and Eddie Howe's half-brother Steve Lovell.
And eventually Bournemouth have got their man, who was recently back in Bristol to complete the logistics of his move south.
"I don’t know the exact fee, but they came out and publicly said it’s the record fee received so you can work it out from older fees," said head coach Lee Johnson in a radio interview in May regarding the deal.
"He’s going to the Premier League, we’re not moving him sideways so it’s very difficult to stand in someone’s way who’s come up on an U23 contract and is playing regular football.
"No disrespect to Bournemouth but it’s clever for them as they’ve gone early [in the window]."
