There is still work to be done on the fee, with the two clubs apart on valuation at this stage. It is believed United are prepared to commit £80 million – a total that was initially communicated in Germany as being amenable to Dortmund. But the Bundesliga side are said to be holding out for an additional £20 million in achievable add-ons. That is not an insignificant gap.
Crucially, however, discussions so far point to an openness to compromise and Old Trafford sources sound positive at this stage. United have spent £80 million on Harry Maguire and £89 million on Paul Pogba in recent seasons and are capable of spending that sort of money on a single marquee player in this summer’s window.