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Sheffield United will pay Peterborough United a seven-figure bonus if they win promotion to the Premier League this season as part of the Harrison Burrows transfer, Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony has claimed. The defender’s protracted transfer saga came to an end over the weekend when he was finally unveiled as a United player, signing a deal until 2028.

Burrows was an unused substitute on Saturday as the Blades beat Rotherham United 2-1 in their penultimate pre-season friendly, and could make his debut this Friday against Huddersfield Town before the season opener against Preston North End on August 9. North End were one of the many sides eyeing a deal for Burrows this summer, with League One newboys Birmingham City also showing interest before United eventually closed a long-agreed deal.

MacAnthony sent a “big thank you” to United owner Prince Abdullah “for being a man of his word on this deal” after the two made contact late last week, with the Burrows deal containing significant add-ons that MacAnthony insisted could eventually net Posh more money than they made from the sale of Ivan Toney. Considering that move has boosted the Posh coffers by around £10m, it is some claim.

“We had five Championship clubs and one big spender in League One bid for Harrison,” MacAnthony said on the latest edition of his ‘Hard Truth’ podcast. “Some of the bids were insulting. ‘We won’t pay that for a 22 year-old,’ ... ‘We won’t pay that for someone in the last year of their contract,’ etc. But Sheffield United did pay what we wanted and I’m glad Harrison wanted to go there.

“Because I honestly believe they will be the ones to win promotion and we have a seven-figure payment coming our way if it happens. There are lots of add-ons, including a big sell-on, the promotion and if Harrison wins England caps. So it could one day surpass the Ivan Toney deal and fair play to Sheffield United, as they were brilliant to deal with.

“They were true to their word. It was always going to take time to get the deal done, but everyone was patient and it’s now happened. I’m looking forward to the day we have Harrison, Ivan Toney, Sammie Szmodics and Ronnie Edwards all playing in the Premier League. It all shows how well we recruit.”