It's taken a while, but Manchester United have finally got their man. A month after agreeing personal terms with Mason Mount, they have now also agreed a financial package with Chelsea for his signature.
United have agreed a deal worth an initial £55million fee, with a further £5million potentially due in add-ons, for a player Erik ten Hag identified as a top target in the window.
He will sign a five-year contract with the option of a further year and be the club's first new arrival in the transfer window once he completes a medical when he returns from holiday next week.
It is certainly a step in the right direction as United go about the next stage of their squad rebuild, though it is well known that player sales will be crucial to fulfilling those ambitious summer plans.
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This is even more relevant following the deal for Mount, as Chelsea managed to secure a vast sum for a player who is otherwise out of contract next summer. United could certainly learn a lesson or two from their approach.
It is easy enough to say United must now sell their unwanted players in the transfer market, but it is a different thing to actually go and do that.
The deal for Mount takes Chelsea's sale profits to £765million over the last ten years, which is by far the highest in the Premier League. During the same period of time United managed just £126million.
United have a reputation for being a club that struggles to move players on, perhaps best demonstrated last summer when six senior stars left for free. They could have received a fee for Paul Pogba during his final few years and should have cashed-in on Jesse Lingard when his stock was high from the loan to West Ham. Instead, they got nothing for both.
It is so bad that Daniel James' sale to Leeds two years ago was even noted as a 'key point' during the quarterly call to investors that followed that window. It is still rather alarming that the Welshman remains United's joint-fourth record sale in club history following that £25million switch to Elland Road.
United sources say football director John Murtough "held the line and did a really good deal" following the agreement to sign Mount, though many fans would still argue that they overpaid for a player out of contract next year.
It is certainly a fair argument if United are the reference point for those fans, given their own clubs' struggles to command large fees for anyone they try to move on.
There is still reason to give Murtough credit, though, and although United have already paid more than they wanted for Mount, they have at least stuck to their upper limit of £55m. It is understood the extra £5m in add-ons would only be triggered if United win multiple major trophies over the forthcoming seasons, therefore justifying it anyway.
United must be taken at face value, as they feel this deal is a fair price, though it is difficult to buy into the narrative that they were the real winners for only paying £55m when Chelsea demanded £58m upfront.
If United really want to prove they are operating with a new approach in the transfer window, then the real gauge of their progress will be the fees they receive for players during it.
Murtough might have held the line, but now he needs to break it.
