The two most expensive signings in Manchester United's history both came when there was no Champions League football to offer at Old Trafford and if the club pursues Harry Kane this summer it will make it a hat-trick of mega deals at a time when the club was out of Europe's elite.
It's been a United strategy to splash the cash when their stock has fallen in recent years but the £89million capture of Paul Pogba in 2016 and the £80million spent to sign Harry Maguire three years later hardly fall into the category of money well spent.
On both occasions, United improved enough the following season to return to the Champions League and it probably says a lot about the attraction of playing for the club that one season away from Europe's top table wasn't seen then as a deal-breaker.
