Man Utd haven't broken their transfer record since 2016 and they don't look likely to do so again this summer.
The £50million spent on Andrey Santos is United's biggest signing of the summer so far
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There was a time earlier this year when it looked like Manchester United might have to break their transfer record this summer, with sizeable price tags slapped on midfielders such as Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton.
But with six weeks of the window to go, it already seems clear that Paul Pogba's status as United's most expensive ever signing will remain untouched. There can't be many Premier League clubs whose record signing hasn't been broken in a decade.
United have cooled on the idea of signing Wharton, baulked at a £116million price tag for Elliot Anderson, and have shown no interest in returning to Carlos Baleba after Brighton demanded £100million last summer.
Mateus Fernandes was too expensive at £85million and again United have tried to be sensible this transfer window. Chief executive Omar Berrada touched on that approach at the end of last season.
"We have to be really disciplined," he said. "We have a plan. We know what we can invest and we have to stick to that. In some cases we may decide to make an investment knowing that it's the right thing for not just the next two, three years, but for the next 10 years.
"But clearly we need to stay very focused on what we're trying to achieve and it's it's very important that you don't let the market or the agents dictate what we should be doing."
The market is dictating United should be shattering transfer records, but the plan inside Old Trafford doesn't account for that. There was interest in Morgan Rogers earlier this year but then shock at a £117million bid from Chelsea which looks set to seal a deal.
Last summer, United signed their seventh (Benjamin Sesko), eighth (Bryan Mbeumo) and 10th (Matheus Cunha) most expensive players ever. This summer, they are yet to get close to that, and there is no guarantee they will sign a midfielder who will trouble the top 10.
The challenge for United is to continue down this path while making progress on the pitch. That is difficult to do when their rivals have embraced the madness of the market and thrown caution to the wind.
The benchmark for big deals has shifted in the last couple of seasons, and United might now be the only member of the top six yet to do a £100million deal. Tottenham will reach that milestone if Sandro Tonali hits the £7.5million in add-ons to top up his £92.5million fee.
Chelsea have signed two £100million+ midfielders in Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo and Arsenal spent £105million on another midfielder, in Declan Rice. City had already spent £100million on Jack Grealish before splashing out £116million on Anderson.
Liverpool twice went beyond the nine-figure mark last summer, signing Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. Both struggled in their first seasons at Anfield and maybe that is proof that spending big is still no guarantee of success, but it helps.
United are reluctant to enter the arms race at those figures. Discipline has become the watchword in recruitment circles at Old Trafford, and that has already been on show this summer.
It is surely a matter of time until United join the £100million club, just don't expect it to be this summer.