The work of one of Manchester United's Premier League rivals is complicating their summer business.
When Manchester United suffered the humiliation of missing out on European football last season, there were bound to be multiple knock-on effects. Along with looking less attractive to transfer targets, the fear was that they would have to cut their summer budget given they would be missing out on the revenue brought by European football.
You would be forgiven for thinking United would embark on a relatively frugal summer. How wrong we were. The Reds spent £225m on four new first-team players, the most expensive being Benjamin Sesko at £73m. This is more than most clubs could dream of spending, and that commitment to getting themselves out of the hole they were in has already paid off.
Fast forward 12 months, and it is now Tottenham who have suffered the embarrassment of finishing outside the European places. Their disastrous season meant until the final whistle of the campaign was blown Spurs' place in the Premier League was not confirmed.
As United did last summer, Spurs are splashing the cash in a bid to return to the Champions League. Already this summer they have agreed to spend £100m on Sandro Tonali and £85m on Mateus Fernandes. The latter deal threw a spanner in the works for the Reds. They had identified the West Ham man as an option to bolster their midfield, replacing the outgoing Casemiro.
While the Reds rated Fernandes highly, they wanted him at a lower price. From United's perspective, there were too many risks associated with the 21-year-old, who was relegated in back-to-back seasons, to justify an £85m spend. Spurs, on the other hand, saw those concerns and chose to ignore them.
In fairness to the north London club, they have to move quickly if they are to compete with teams who can offer Champions League football. If that means paying the asking price, so be it.
Of course, this is a risk for Spurs, especially if Fernandes' move does not work out. And it also has a knock-on effect on United as they move on to other targets.
Take Crysencio Summerville. He is one of a number of players United are considering on the left wing.
It is understood no move for the Netherlands international is imminent. But after a decent World Cup on an individual level, Summerville looks destined to be sold by West Ham.
The problem is that the Hammers' negotiating position is now much stronger than it was. Having already banked £85m for Fernandes, they should be empowered to stick to their valuation for Summerville too.
He is valued at around £50m by West Ham and that fee brings into question whether United see him as value for money or not. He bagged nine goal contributions last season, a modest total in an admittedly underperforming team.
West Ham are under no pressure to sell Summerville now, and they have already seen that clubs are willing to meet the asking price for some of their stars.
If United decide to firm up their interest in Summerville, they may find West Ham are unwilling to negotiate over their asking price, and Spurs have played a big part in that stance.