There are reports in Italy that the true cost Manchester United are paying for Joshua Zirkzee can reach €61m, but only €26m will go to Bologna.
It was well known that the player had a €40m release clause in his contract, which any club could activate once past the July date.
Milan had been prepared to pay that, but refused to also cover the €15m commission demanded by agent Kia Joorabchian, so did not complete the transfer even after agreeing personal terms.
Manchester United are happy to pay the €15m commission, but are also shelling out considerably more than that.
How much Manchester United are paying for Zirkzee
According to The Athletic, they are going to pay €42.5m because Bologna would then allow Manchester United to spread out the payment over a three-year period.
However, Calciomercato.it insist it is more like €46m including various bonuses.
This also suits Bologna, because as part of the original €8.5m purchase from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022, they owe the German giants 50 per cent of the sell-on fee.
That is only the release clause figure and not the bonuses, so Bologna get to keep the €20m plus the whole €6m of add-ons.
Zirkzee is expected to fly out tonight and undergo a medical with the Premier League side tomorrow morning.
The valuation of €61m is roughly £51.3m.