Manchester United v Manchester City: Saturday’s derby set to become the most expensive showdown in history
Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola set to field close to £700m worth of talent, eclipsing famous 'El Cashico' from last season
AS if there weren't enough plot-lines ahead of this Saturday's Manchester derby, it would appear there is now a brand-new one.
That's right, to go along with the fact it is Manchester United v Manchester City and the return of Jose Mourinho v Pep Guardiola - a famously ferocious rivalry - Saturday's showdown is also set to be the most expensive football match in history.
Last season's 'El Cashico' between Real Madrid and Barcelona tipped the scales at a whopping £562million - based on players' previous transfer fees.
With players such as Gareth Bale, the former world record transfer at £86m, Cristiano Ronaldo (£80m) and Luis Suarez (£75m) on display in that one, it's easy to think that would have remained the most expensive game ever.
However, taking a look at the 22 players set to suit up for the Manchester derby , it blows the La Liga showdown out of the water at a whopping £685.7m.
That is an outrageous £123.7m bump on last November's El Clasico - won 4-0 by Barcelona thanks to a Suarez brace to go with one apiece for Neymar and Andres Iniesta.
Of course that figure is influenced heavily by Paul Pogba's record-breaking £109m move back to Man United from Juventus - with £20m going straight into agent Mino Raiola's pocket.
Fellow summer signing Eric Bailly brings £30m to the party, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic's inclusion is a freebie based on his most recent transfer.
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In the blue corner, John Stones' outrageous £47.5m move from Everton, along with £37m-man Leroy Sane boosts City's total.
But it's not just this summer adding to the noise, with previous years' big-money buys such as Kevin De Bruyne (£54m), Raheem Sterling (£49m) and even players like Juan Mata (£37.1m), Wayne Rooney (£27m) and Fernandinho (£30m) boosting the total.
Where the main discrepancy appears to lie is in the use of youth systems.
While Marcus Rashford has been a revelation in the past six months, Mourinho has failed to start him in the league this season, while City are currently devoid of any talent brought through the youth teams.
Meanwhile, in last season's 'El Cashico' there were no fewer than three players in Barcelona's line-up who were freebies based on coming through the club set-up.
And they're no slouches either; Sergio Busquests, Iniesta and Sergi Roberto.
But this isn't the time to go into the long-standing issue of youth players in English football.
It is simply a look at the sheer amount of money on display on Saturday.
As if the game itself wasn't a big enough occasion... You'll also be watching a little slice of football history.