Yes, the whole point would've been to AVOID having to match their "offer"; save a few quid. Hence the early, and ongoing, PR offensive.
Technically we could have signed him up three months ago, after all
It, of course, is not entirely inconceivable that he doesn't want to move to Manchester. Wife and his family are all Londoners. Same reason (in reverse) my BiL didn't really want to move to London.