Manchester United have confirmed the capture of England Under-21
defender Phil Jones on a five-year deal after agreeing an
undisclosed fee with Blackburn Rovers.
United thought they had secured Jones' services last week, only
for the transfer to be halted due to an unforeseen snag. It was
claimed Blackburn were holding out for more cash and that Liverpool
had jumped in with a superior offer.
However, Jones, who featured for England Under-21s in their
opening European Championship match against Spain in Denmark,
apparently told Rovers he did not wish to join any club but United
and the deal is now in place.
''Manchester United is delighted to announce it has signed an
agreement with Blackburn Rovers for the transfer of Phil Jones," a
United statement read. "The player passed a medical in Manchester
last week and has agreed a five-year contract. The deal will be
completed once the player returns from international duty."
A Blackburn statement, released on behalf of the owners, board
and manager, on the club's official site read: "Much as we would
love him to stay on with us - and we made all efforts to convince
him to stay - Phil has to finally follow his heart. We are
extremely happy with his contribution to our team and we wish him
all the very best in his future endeavours."
It appears the breakthrough may have come after United agreed to
up their offer as Rovers boss Steve Kean has told Sky Sports
News that the deal is worth around £20 million - a significant
increase on the original £16.5 million bid.
Nonetheless, Kean revealed Blackburn had offered to make Jones
the highest paid player at the club had he stayed at Ewood Park and
is disappointed the player made the decision to move on.
"The offer we made he was staggering for a 19-year-old, but it
wasn't the money," Kean said. "Phil wants to play Champions League
football now and we're not at that level.
"I'm sure we will be in the coming years, and we gave it a real
good try and made him a fantastic offer, but I understand why he
wants to go now. He goes with our blessing and it's an opportunity
for us to invest in other young players across other areas of the
pitch.
"We were hoping he was going to be captain of our club and
captain of England. He's a fantastic prospect and I'm sure he'll be
an England regular very soon.''
United are also hoping to complete the signing of Spain Under-21
goalkeeper David de Gea, who produced an excellent performance when
he featured against Jones in Sunday's game.
However, it is also anticipated Sir Alex Ferguson will land
Ashley Young first, once Aston Villa have sorted out their
managerial vacancy, and a replacement is also anticipated for Paul
Scholes, who confirmed his retirement last month.