Former Southampton chief Les Reed has revealed he 'pulled Manchester United's pants down' during negotiations for Luke Shaw, after selling the defender for more than double the amount the club had expected to receive.
Record-breaking deal
In 2014, Shaw became the most expensive teenager in world football after joining United in a £30million deal. At the time, the transfer was seen as a coup for the Red Devils, who had beaten off competition from several Premier League rivals to land one of the most highly-rated young talents in Europe.
But ultimately, it was Southampton who came away from negotiations rubbing their hands together. Recalling the transfer on the Fozcast podcast after being asked by Ben Foster whether there were any deals where he felt he had got the better of another club, Reed said: "I met with Ed Woodward for the Luke Shaw transfer.
"I came back to the Southampton offices and my office is on the same floor as the finance director and the chief executive. And they had their doors open and we were chatting.
"They've both gone, 'So, how much [did you sell him for]?' And I went, 'Go on, guess.' So the finance director said £12m and the CEO said, 'Nah nah, more than that. £15m.' And I said, 'Nah, you're both wrong. £30m.' I thought I've done pretty well there."
Southampton's most lucrative academy sale
The deal remains to this day Southampton's most lucrative academy sale, with Shaw having emerged from the club's famed youth system before becoming a first team regular at St Mary's as a teenager.
The full back was one of several high-profile departures overseen by Reed during his eight-year spell at Southampton, which began with him serving as Head of Football Development and Support before later becoming Vice-Chairman.
Between 2010 and 2018, he played a key role in negotiating lucrative deals for the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Calum Chambers, Morgan Schneiderlin, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk - with those sales alone bringing in just shy of £250m for the club.
Shaw's career at United
Shaw would go on to establish himself as a key figure for both Manchester United and England, cementing his reputation as one of the finest left backs in Europe and ultimately justifying the fee United forked out for him.
However, injuries have repeatedly disrupted his career, with the defender making fewer than 13 Premier League appearances in five of his 12 seasons at Old Trafford.
Now 31, Shaw has entered the final year of his United contract and is expected to leave Old Trafford next summer, with no talks over a new deal currently taking place. Michael Carrick's side are also actively eyeing up long-term replacements for Shaw, with Newcastle's Lewis Hall high on their wish list.
