Fellaini waived £4 million in loyalty bonuses to get Man Utd deal done

On a day when Manchester United pursued the signings of Fellaini, Leighton Baines, Ander Herrera and Fabio Coentrao, as well as making an early-morning inquiry into the availability of Mesut Özil prior to his move from Real Madrid to Arsenal, the champions headed into the final hour of the window with nothing to show for their summer-long efforts to strengthen the squad. Everton’s refusal to sell Baines and Real Madrid’s failure to sign off a season-long loan deal for Coentrao, because of the collapse of their move for Granada full-back Guilherme Siqueira, had denied Moyes a new left-back as cover for Patrice Evra. The United manager, who pulled out of a move for Athletic Bilbao midfielder Herrera late on Monday evening after refusing to meet the Spanish club’s £30.5 million valuation, looked to be on the verge of missing out on Fellaini following a similar stand-off with Everton over the Belgian’s price tag. With Everton demanding £27.5 million and Moyes unprepared to offer beyond the £23.5 million escape clause in Fellaini’s contract, which expired on July 31 but was due to be reactivated on Jan 1, the 25-year-old broke the deadlock by waiving £4 million in loyalty bonuses to get the deal done in the final hours of the transfer window. By submitting a transfer request shortly before 8pm, Fellaini ensured Everton would not be forced to pay the player £4 million in loyalty bonuses, enabling the two clubs to agree a deal worth £27.5 million to the selling club.

It also meant United would pay the £23.5 million figure regarded by Moyes as the limit of his valuation of a player he signed for Everton for £15 million from Standard Liège in 2008. The chaotic manner of United’s transfer dealings has prompted criticism of Moyes and chief executive Ed Woodward, with the two failing to land any of the club’s priority targets this summer. A renewed move for Herrera is expected when the transfer window reopens in January, but The Daily Telegraph understands that the bid for Fellaini would have failed had the player not chosen to sacrifice his loyalty bonuses. “I am thrilled to sign for Manchester United,” Fellaini said. “I have known the manager for many years now and I have a lot of respect for his way of working. When I was given the opportunity to work with him again, I jumped at the chance. "I had a fantastic time at Everton and I’d like to thank all the fans and staff there for everything they have done for me, but being a Manchester United player is something that every player dreams of and I believe that I can make a real contribution to the team’s efforts to win trophies in the future.” Moyes, who had been determined to sign two midfielders this summer, added: “I have worked with Marouane for five years and I’m delighted he has decided to join Manchester United. He is a player with great ability and strength and I think he will make a real difference to our squad.” Fellaini, handed the number 31 shirt by United, is expected to make his club debut against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Sept 14 following international duty with Belgium against Scotland this week. While Moyes had been keen to add Herrera to his squad alongside Fellaini, the Scot instructed Woodward to abandon attempts to sign the 24-year-old after failing to persuade Bilbao to lower their valuation. United, having offered £26 million for Herrera last Thursday, refused to meet the £30.5 million escape clause in the player’s contract, with Moyes taking the view that the midfielder did not justify a fee second only to the £30.75  million club-record signing Dimitar Berbatov. Senior figures at United have made it clear that Moyes remains a big admirer of Herrera, however, and that efforts are likely to be made again to take him to Old Trafford, potentially during the January transfer window. Despite claims in the Spanish media of ‘impostors’ arriving at the Spanish league offices on Monday afternoon purporting to be representing United in negotiations for Herrera, the club have stressed that the three men, understood to have been sports lawyers, had no involvement in the transfer failing to go through. United have insisted that the collapse of the deal was merely due to the two clubs being unable to agree on the player’s valuation and Moyes deciding, as with his move for Baines, that bids would not be made beyond his own view on a player’s value. United, meanwhile, have confirmed the £700,000 deadline-day signing of FC Zurich 17-year-old Saidy Janko.