With less than six weeks until the transfer window opens, Premier League clubs will be putting plans in place for what is almost certain to be a summer of major spending.
The English top-flight forked out nearly £2billion on players last summer - almost as much as the Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A and La Liga combined - and its clubs show no sign of slowing down.
Manchester City and Arsenal will need to invest to maintain momentum, while the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle will all be playing catch up.
Competition for players and compliance with Financial Fair Play regulations makes planning in advance essential. Those in charge of transfers will have been doing so since the January window ended, with the more pragmatic laying foundations for even longer. ALSO READ: Erik ten Hag in the dark over transfer funds amid takeover process The build up to a summer window - particularly one like United's, where the outlay will be heavy and sales aplenty to balance the books - calls for stability., although at Old Trafford it is anything but.