Liverpool gets last laugh over $78m transfer as Manchester United decision alerts three clubs

The problem with assessing the success or failure of transfers is that many people pass judgment far too quickly . It takes time for the true picture to take shape.

Supporters of Manchester United will be delighted that their club beat Liverpool to the signing of Leny Yoro . Yet while he looks a fantastic prospect, there are no guarantees that he will become a world-beater. Yoro has been playing in Ligue 1 so will see his credentials severely tested in the higher environs of the Premier League .

While not a perfect comparison, United beat the Reds to a signing last summer too. Despite only having 12 months remaining on his Chelsea contract, the Red Devils spent up to $78m (£60m/€71m) including add-ons to sign Mason Mount . His five-year contract added a half-decade salary commitment of $84m (£65m/€77m) to make a total package of around $162m (£125m/€148m). It was easy to see why Liverpool walked away at the time and its decision looks even more justified now.

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Mount made very little impact in 2023/24. He made just 20 appearances and only eight of them were starts. He delivered one goal and one assist in the 759 minutes in which he played. That meager output cost United somewhere in the region of $56k (£43k/€51k) per minute the England international spent on the pitch.

It would be easy to gloat at the money wasted, but all clubs encounter such problems. Liverpool only got five minutes (plus stoppage time) out of Thiago Alcantara last season, after all. He was no longer playing international football and was at the tail-end of his career, though, not someone who had appeared in four of his country’s five matches at the World Cup which had occurred during the previous season.

And while Thiago’s time in the North West of England is now over, the same could be true for Mount. HITC has reported that both he and Antony, another costly flop, might leave United this summer. It is claimed that Aston Villa , Newcastle and Tottenham have been made aware of the former Chelsea midfielder’s situation, though it is not clear how much interest those clubs hold in the player.

Let’s assume they are keen, for the sake of argument. Per FBRef , Mount is the joint 12 th highest-paid player in the Premier League, with nobody at the three clubs who might take him from United having anyone within $78k (£60k/€71k) a week of his salary.

The Red Devils will need to take a serious financial hit if Mount departs just one year after joining. Liverpool will have the last laugh here, and have shown again that not signing the wrong player is a better strategy than overpaying for a target purely for the sake of it.