Manchester United still owe an eyewatering £169.3million in outstanding transfer fees as a financial crisis looms over the 20 clubs in the Premier League.
There is no football on the horizon amid the coronavirus pandemic and the stark reality of top-flight finances have been revealed, with a realisation that sides are over-reliant on TV money they are no longer receiving.
Kieran Maguire, a university lecturer on football finance, has detailed exactly how much each club currently owe on players they have bought, with United a massive £85.6m in front of any of their rivals, and the overall total standing at £1.6bn.
Deals for the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka leave United in a perilous financial position, while they are followed by rivals Manchester City in second place.
There is a spot in the top five for Championship club Fulham, who still owe a worrying £73.9m in transfer fees despite their relegation to the second tier.
They are flying high in a play-off spot this season, looking to bounce straight back up to the top four, but their desperate need to get back to the big time is shown in their current financial situation.
On paper, Newcastle’s financial picture is looking rosy as they owe nothing and instead are owed over £15m themselves, but Sportsmail understands it may not be quite as simple as that for the north-east giants.
Indeed, Newcastle and Crystal Palace are the two sides on the graph to have not submitted financial figures beyond the 2017-18 season, and the Magpies have since brought in the likes of Miguel Almiron, Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin.
Palace, meanwhile, are high on the graph with £47.2m outstanding fees, but it is understood that after a low-spending couple of seasons since they will owe significantly less than stated on payments for the likes of Mamadou Sakho, Jeffrey Schlupp and Patrick van Aanholt.