Sir Alex Ferguson has already made his feelings clear on Liverpool spending almost £300 million in one window as major warning sent out

Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson once sent the Premier League a clear warning ahead of Liverpool's busy transfer window.

After confirming the signing of Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal reportedly worth up to up to £79million, Liverpool took their total spending for this summer up to a stunning £269.2m.

The French striker is just the latest of several big names to join the Reds in recent weeks, with Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong all signing with the Premier League champions this summer.

And with reports suggesting that Liverpool could yet complete deals for Newcastle United star Alexander Isak, who would demand a British record fee, and Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, Arne Slot is clearly not messing around.

However, as Liverpool's total spending this summer approached £300m, a past warning from Manchester United legend Alex Ferguson has resurfaced online.

Liverpool paid a minimum of £69million for Hugo Ekitike, with the fee potentially rising to £79m if bonuses are met. (Image: Getty)

Back in 2009, Ferguson noticed that the actions of local rivals Manchester City and La Liga giants Real Madrid in the transfer market was inflating prices for other clubs.

The United legend warned that if this continued to happen, it could eventually lead to some major clubs collapsing as they can no longer afford the huge fees being paid in the market.

"I think there is an awful lot of expenditure and you say to yourself, 'Where is it going to end?'" Ferguson told North West Business Insider magazine in 2009, via The Guardian.

"This is exactly what was happening in the business world two years ago. There were warning signs and everyone knew there were, yet they carried on because it was so easy to access loans.

"In the football world you say to yourself the warning signs are there, but nobody seems to be bothering about it. You wonder where it's going to go and what is going to happen if one major club were to go, to collapse."

Three months before Ferguson's damning prediction, United sold star player Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for a then record fee of €94.00m (£81.97m).

As of July 2025, the transfer record now stands at more than double this after Paris Saint-Germain paid a stunning €222.00m (£193.6m) to sign Neymar from Barcelona in August 2017.

Neymar's move to PSG from Barcelona in 2017 remains the biggest transfer fee of all time. (Image: Getty)

Later in the interview, Ferguson warned against allowing multimillionaire owners to spending so heavily that it would greatly damage the market and impact other clubs.

He added: "People are treating football as an item for themselves, owning clubs with untold wealth that you wonder if it is really good for the game or good for that particular club."

• Sir Alex Ferguson Spotted in Moment With Sir Kenny Dalglish at Anfield
• Man Utd Star Sir Alex Ferguson Sold During Training Comes Out of Retirement
• What Alex Ferguson Said to Jonjo Shelvey in Tunnel after Infamous Anfield Row
• Sir Alex Ferguson's Honest Verdict on Man City and Arsenal Title Race