Liverpool spent big last summer in the transfer window but now some of their rivals are starting to follow suit
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola(Image: Ben Roberts - Danehouse/Getty Images)
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The supposed best players on the planet continue to duke it out on the other side of the Atlantic to discover who can claim, at least for the next four years, to be champions of the world.
Back in England, though, a rather different competition is taking place. And all without a ball being kicked.
The battle for who can complete the most eye-wateringly expensive transfer took another twist on Wednesday with the emergence Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a deal to sign Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali for a basic £92.5million plus £7.5m in achievable add-ons.
It came just hours before Tottenham confirmed the arrival of West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes in a club record £85m transfer - a landmark that is set to last for just a couple of days.
Throw in Manchester City's deal to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson for £116m, and it begs a very simple question: what in the blazes is going on with the transfer market?
Of course, the nature of the business means prices are much more likely to go up rather than down. What you could get for £20m a decade ago is very different to what it will provide this summer.
But even by the standards of usual inflation, some of the fees - and, just as pertinently, the clubs splashing out the cash - are surprising.
And Liverpool, who so often look to drive a bargain in the transfer market, should perhaps be worried. Even if they are partly to blame for the ramping up of player values for Premier League clubs this year.
That came from their splurge last summer, when they spent £116m on Florian Wirtz and then outdid that with the £125m deal to sign Alexander Isak.
Yes, they brought in more than £200m in sales and eventual champions Arsenal notably had the greatest net spend of any Premier League club last term.
But Liverpool's outlay of almost £450m was higher than any other club in Premier League history for a single window. And as such, the amount they have splashed out, both for individual players and collectively, has now become somewhat indicative of what could yet come.
The Reds often set their valuation of players by comparing them to similar ones elsewhere, particularly when it comes to selling. That's why, despite Curtis Jones having entered the final 12 months of his present deal, Liverpool want more than £30m for the midfielder having seen what other players of roughly the same age, standard and contract position have been sold for of late.
However, it is not an unusual stance for any club to take. And given so many good but not great - at least not for the time being - players are now being moved on for astronomical fees, the base price for such targets is in danger of rocketing, making the signing of the very best increasingly prohibitive.
Small wonder Paris Saint-Germain have taken one look at what's happening and slapped a nine-figure valuation on Bradley Barcola, while RB Leipzig were more than happy to resist Liverpool's £86m interest in Yan Diomande even before the Ivorian winger reportedly expressed a desire to move to PSG.
Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group wear as a badge of honour their ability to eke out every last pound in the transfer window and make opportunistic signings through their knowledge base, such as triggering the £34.5m release clause to sign Spain international winger Victor Munoz from Osasuna last month. They still need to: despite that big spend last summer, the Reds, for differing reasons, don't have the financial clout of some of their main domestic rivals.
Liverpool are only just getting started in this summer's transfer window. But with some sizeable holes still to fill in Andoni Iraola's squad, the recruitment team are going to find it harder than ever to bring in top players that are much closer to the finished article than simple potential - perhaps going some what to explaining why they are prioritising targets with a younger age profile.
Regardless, players have suddenly become a whole lot more expensive this window. Liverpool, like everyone else, are likely to have to pay top, top dollar for the best.
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