Days after Liverpool unveiled Dominik Szoboszlai as their second summer signing, Manchester United confirmed Mason Mount's arrival.
The 24-year-old has penned a long-term deal at Old Trafford just a matter of months after the Reds were linked with potential interest in the former Chelsea midfielder.
Liverpool were said to have tracked the England international after turning their attention away from Jude Bellingham. But Jurgen Klopp's side then cast their eye on Brighton & Hove Albion's Alexis Mac Allister as he was placed near the top of the transfer shortlist at the beginning of May.
It was reported that price tag, wage demands and lure of Champions League football were determining factors that ended Mount's association with the Stamford Bridge club - and determined his next destination.
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On Wednesday, he was confirmed as a Red Devil, taking the number seven shirt after the two Premier League clubs agreed on a £55m deal plus a possible £5m in add-ons.
Both The Athletic and the Manchester Evening News have reported that the midfielder will earn £250,000 a week at Old Trafford which would score him among some of their highest earners alongside Jadon Sancho, Casemiro and Raphael Varane.
Mount missed the end of the season for Chelsea through injury as newly-appointed manager Mauricio Pochettino cashed in on the player as he entered the final year of his contract.
Early on last season, midfield became a glaring area for criticism after the department stood out as a weak point in Klopp's Liverpool team. The engine room was susceptible for a number of catalyst moments in a chastening campaign, but the Reds managed to fight back and salvage Europa League football.
The spotlight prompted the focus to be on the middle of the pitch this summer - with the acquisitions of Mac Allister and Szoboszlai already confirmed. With the window set to close on September 1, the Reds are weighing up a possible third midfield signing as Romeo Lavia of Southampton remains under consideration.
Liverpool triggered the release clauses of both new recruits, which opened up negotiations with RB Leipzig and Brighton.
The two North West rivals will be battling to finish in the top four as the Reds look to re-establish their place among Europe's elite. United are looking to make goalkeeping and forward additions following the arrival of Mount, but now reportedly face financial restrictions if they want to land their desired targets.
After being in pursuit of Bellingham, who would leave for Real Madrid in a British transfer deal, Liverpool opted to spread their transfer spending wisely which has brought them to the point of their two summer signings.
But wages tell a significant story when assessing all three major midfield deals at Liverpool and United so far this summer - and the overall 'price' at play.
With reports that Mount is arriving at the Theatre of Dreams as one of their highest earners on £250,000 per week, Liverpool have managed to recruit two midfield options in Szoboszlai and Mac Allister for around the same salary figure combined - with wages for each man believed to be in the region of £120,000 per week.
United have seemingly been forced to pay a wage packet which often comes with the cost of acquiring English players. During his time at Stamford Bridge, Mount signed numerous extensions as Chelsea battled at the peak of the Premier League and Champions League.
Liverpool welcomed Szoboszlai from the Bundesliga where traditionally wages are lower and with the acquisition of Mac Allister, he arrives relatively early in his career after a breakthrough campaign in the English top-flight and on the international stage with Argentina.
If reports are to be believed, the shrewd business from the Reds has seen them land two high-calibre players at a similar wage outlay as what their M62 rivals have spent on one signing.
