How many times have you heard the expression teams can 'buy the title'?

A fair few times we would bet. Now that the summer has arrived and transfer silly season is in full swing, there's a great chance you'll be hearing that excuse again before long.

It seems as though both Manchester clubs are looking to be the most proactive in the early going and history certainly suggests that's not bucking any trends.

It seems with the money in the game, the transfers are only going to get more expensive with every passing year.

So, with that in mind, we decided to take a look at the most expensive XI in Premier League history from position to position and see how that has worked out for the paying customers. All fees courtesy of Transfermarket.co.uk.

David De Gea (Man United - £17.8m)

After his first season in the Premier League, many believed the Spaniard was too frail to succeed in England. 200 Premier League appearances later, DDG has proved everyone wrong and is one of the top goalkeepers in the world.

Nicolas Otamendi (Man City - £37.91m)

One of Man City's many failed attempts to find a legitimate partner for Vincent Kompany. The Argentine defender leaves his feet far too quickly and is rash in the tackle. Two years on, it's safe to say he has not been worth the money.

Rio Ferdinand (Man United - £39.10m)

Now, this is a man that was worth every penny. Rio won six Premier League titles as part of the spine of Man United and is one of the best footballing centre-backs the county has ever seen.

John Stones (Man City - £47.26m)

The jury is still out on this one. Many might argue that Stones is the best ball-playing defender since Ferdinand, but he's yet to prove he is in the same league when it comes to actual defending. At just 23, he has plenty of time on his side.

Paul Pogba (Man United - £89.25m)

Is any man worth this amount of money? The answer is no of course, but in the world of football, Pogba is an extremely valuable asset. After adjusting to the demands of the Premier League, the Frenchman got better every single week and can do just about everything. Only 24, he has many years of running the middle of the park at Old Trafford ahead of him.

Angel Di Maria (Man United - £63.75m)

Just a terrible, terrible flop. His career in United colours started brightly enough, He couldn't even get into the Red Devils' XI after Christmas and seeing how well he performed at Real Madrid prior to the move and PSG since, it still boggles the mind how he was so wasteful.

Kevin De Bruyne (Man City - £62.90m)

The Belgian playmaker has been one constant positive at the Etihad Stadium since his move from Wolfsburg. After an indifferent spell at Chelsea, many could be forgiven for thinking this was a risk at the time. However, City's No. 17 is one of the most dangerous creators in the league and finished the 2016-17 campaign with a league-high 18 assists.

Raheem Sterling (Man City - £53.13m)

The former Liverpool winger is a good player, but is he worth north of £50 million? That is extremely debatable. Sterling recorded six goals and two assists in his debut season at the Etihad and although he had seven of each this term, he has some work to do to show he is one of the most dangerous wingers in the world. At this point, Leroy Sane looks like the real star in the making.

Anthony Martial (Man United - £51.00m)

This deal could yet cost United £57 million and while Martial is yet to truly justify such a figure, his talent is obvious. The 21-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance at Old Trafford and undoubtedly has a big future in the game, but the rise of Marcus Rashford might be hindering his progress under Jose Mourinho.

Fernando Torres (Chelsea - £49.73m)

No one really thought this was a bad deal at the time, but in terms of goals to games, it really was. After averaging over one goal every other game for Liverpool, El Nino could only muster 20 goals in 110 Premier League games for Chelsea. He did, however, score the winner in the Europa League final and did score 22 goals that season - but only eight in the EPL.

Christian Benteke (Liverpool - £39.53m)

Probably the worst deal on this list and by some distance. The big Belgian forward has proved to be a dangerous target man when operating for mid-table or lower sides who play a direct style, but with a high-tempo Liverpool side, he stuck out like a sore thumb. Like Andy Carroll before him, a big man just doesn't work at the point of the Reds' attack and he only lasted one season on Merseyside.