Why Manchester United Will Pay Chelsea Big Fee From Their Europa League Prize Money

• Mason Mount’s contract clause is forcing Manchester United to pay Chelsea a large portion of their Europa League prize money
• Chelsea will profit more than the Red Devils from the Europa League final despite not participating in the competition
• Manchester United lost their second Europa League final in four years after losing 1-0 to Tottenham

Manchester United’s Europa League heartbreak has taken another twist, this time off the pitch, as Chelsea is set to benefit more from the Red Devils' campaign.

Following their 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the final in Bilbao, the Old Trafford club is now set to hand a large portion of their prize money to Chelsea due to a clause in Mason Mount’s transfer agreement.

Despite receiving around £5.5 million in earnings from the Europa League final, Manchester United will transfer £3.5 million of that amount to Chelsea.

This is as a result of a performance-based clause in Mount’s contract that rewards the West London club when he appears in a European final for the Red Devils as per this post on X by Rory Talks Football.

Inside Mason Mount’s final clause

Mount joined Manchester United from Chelsea in the summer of 2023 for an initial fee of £55 million, with an additional £5 million set aside in performance-related bonuses.

Among those bonuses was a clause stating that if the England midfielder played in a European final for Manchester United, a triggered payment would go to Chelsea.

Mount started the final against Tottenham, fulfilling the conditions of the clause and activating the £3.5 million fee the Blues are now set to benefit from.

Thanks to Mount’s appearance in the final, Chelsea have managed to extract more than half of Manchester United’s Europa League earnings, despite not even featuring in the competition.

If the Red Devils were to win the Premier League in a season where Mount plays at least 70% of league games, Chelsea would receive an additional £1 million.

These clauses, while standard in modern football transfers, highlight the long-term cost of major signings, especially when winning a trophy is involved.

A bitter end to a tough Man United season

This latest development adds to Manchester United’s growing list of frustrations.

Under Ruben Amorim, the Red Devils hoped to end the season on a high. Instead, they were denied both a trophy and Champions League football, and now face financial consequences.

Man United face harsh truths

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Manchester United's Europa League final loss to Tottenham has plunged the club into uncertainty, as the Red Devils completed their worst league finish in 50 years with no European football next season.

Amorim’s side travelled to Bilbao in a bid to rescue their poor campaign but were defeated, with Tottenham outclassing them for the fourth time this season.