The Red Devils have never been afraid to splash the cash, with their most elaborate additions in the Premier League era including both hits and misses
Manchester United spent £1 million for the first time in October 1980 when prising Garry Birtles away from Nottingham Forest and would go on to smash their transfer record on a regular basis until acquiring Paul Pogba from Juventus for £89m in 2016.
Not all of the deals done by one of the most decorated sides on the planet have provided value for money, but there have been more hits than misses.
The Red Devils have never been afraid to splash the cash, particularly after establishing themselves as a dominant force in English football under Sir Alex Ferguson, and GOAL is on hand to bring you a full run down of their most elaborate purchases during the Premier League era.
Getty ImagesRoy Keane | £3.75m | July 1993
United swooped in after learning that Keane had a deal in place to join Blackburn Rovers from Nottingham Forest, with the British transfer record broken when luring the Irish midfielder away from the City Ground.
Keane was still a rough diamond at that point, but Ferguson polished him into a global superstar that will forever hold a place in British football folklore.
The no-nonsense midfielder would become captain of the Red Devils and the standards he demanded of himself and those around him allowed seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups and a Champions League crown to be collected across 12 memorable years.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesAndy Cole | £7m | January 1995
A Premier League Golden Boot winner in 1993-94, Cole’s exploits in front of goal at Newcastle made him of obvious appeal to United as they began to take a stranglehold on English football.
He would go on to record 121 efforts for the Red Devils through 275 appearances, despite regularly facing questions of his finishing ability, with history made within weeks of his arrival at Old Trafford when he netted five times in one outing against Ipswich.
Cole could always be relied upon to do his bit for the collective cause, despite being an archetypal fox in the box, and was a key man during United’s historic run to Treble glory in 1998-99.
Getty ImagesJaap Stam | £10.75m | July 1998
The Dutch defender become an iconic figure at the Theatre of Dreams through just three seasons in England – one of which was decimated by an Achilles injury.
His brutal combination of power and pace allowed him to dominant opposition strikers, with his arrival from PSV proving to be one of the final pieces in the puzzle that allowed United to pretty much sweep the board on a trophy front in 1998-99.
An acrimonious departure for Lazio was made in 2001, with Ferguson later admitting that he made a mistake, but there will always be a place for him in the hearts and minds of United supporters that were fortunate enough to catch him in action.
Getty ImagesDwight Yorke | £12.6m | August 1998
Shortly after breaking the bank to add Stam’s unique brand of steel to their defensive unit, United dug deep again when luring Trinidadian striker Yorke away from domestic rivals Aston Villa.
He proved to be a shrewd addition to the Red Devils’ ranks as a destructive partnership was forged alongside fellow frontman Cole – with Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer proving to be more than capable deputies.
Yorke also starred in the Treble-winning campaign of 1999, when he hit 29 goals across all competitions, and moved on after finding the target on 65 occasions in total through 152 appearances.