Jose Mourinho has responded to Virgil van Dijk's €85 million move by reminding Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp of his threat to quit football if astronomical fees became commonplace.
The Reds have made the first significant move of the winter transfer window after agreeing a deal with Southampton to make Van Dijk the world's most expensive defender.
He will arrive at Anfield 18 months after Klopp insisted he wanted to "do it differently" following Paul Pogba's then-world record €105 million switch to Manchester United, with the German suggesting he did not want to be involved in the game if such amounts became the norm rather than the exception.
"If you bring one player in for £100m and he gets injured, then it all goes through the chimney," said Klopp in 2016.
"The day that this is football, I’m not in a job anymore, because the game is about playing together."
Asked about Van Dijk's move at his press conference on Friday, Mourinho said: "I think the one to speak about it in a specific way has to be Jurgen. If I was one of you I would ask him about his comments about one year ago (when Pogba signed).
"Not speaking specifically about (the Van Dijk) case because in Liverpool they do what they want, and I am nobody to comment about what they do, (but) the reality is if they think the player is the right player for them, and they really want the player, they pay this amount or they don't have the player. That's the way the market is.
"When we compare now the amount of money that certain managers and we try to compare that...not even with 10 years ago, (with) three years ago, it's to compare the impossible.
"Now you are going to say Virgil van Dijk is the most expensive defender in the history of football. Was he better than (Paolo) Maldini, (Giuseppe) Bergomi or (Rio) Ferdinand? You cannot say that.
"It's just the way the market is. You pay or you don't pay. If you pay, you pay a crazy amount of money but if you don't, you don't have the player. It's as simple as that.
"No criticism at all about what Liverpool did. It's just the way it is."
Klopp admits it was "not nice" shelling out €85 million for van Dijk but had little option in current market conditions.
Klopp has finally landed his main defensive target after a protracted courtship which included an unsuccessful transfer request in the summer and a public apology to Southampton for a "misunderstanding" over the Reds' pursuit.
But in bringing the Holland international to Anfield, Klopp had to set a new world record for a defender, easily eclipsing the €60 million which took Kyle Walker from Tottenham to Manchester City.
The magnitude of the deal does not sit easily with the German but he believes it is no longer possible to keep a lid on spiralling fees and instead chooses to focus on the player, not the price tag.
"It's a big change in football over a few months and years and we have to adapt to it. That's how it is, it changed already," he said.
"It's not nice but that's the market, that's the world.It's all about how the market always is, it's about the need and the opportunity. If you want to sign a player, actually the last thing I actually think about is the price.
"It's not because I like throwing money around. We only think about the player and there's one moment when you get the price and you have to accept it or not.
"Of course it's not every club who will do it (spend such amounts) but a lot of clubs are able to do it and they will do it."
Van Dijk will not yet be a Liverpool player when they take on Leicester on Saturday, joining officially on January 1 when the transfer window officially opens.
Liverpool are expected to face renewed interest from Barcelona for Philippe Coutinho, having refused to do business in the summer.
There is no indication that their answer would be any different should the Catalan giants come calling again, with the playmaker even taking the captaincy in the 5-0 thrashing of Swansea.
Klopp revealed that was no masterplan to buy the Brazilian's continued commitment but was happy to see him turn in a typically impressive performance.
"I don't know if I make the story less romantic but when Hendo (Jordan Henderson) and Milly (James Milner) were not playing, I need to look at our longest servant...Philippe Coutinho," he explained.
"That's why he was captain. Maybe I could be smarter, think about giving him the armband and he will never leave or give him the armband and he's especially happy, but that's not how it works.
"The armband can do different things to you, you can feel the lift or the pressure, and it didn't disturb him."
Liverpool's single-minded resolve to hang on to Coutinho has been matched in some regards by their weekend opponents, who have thus far fended off every vulture circling Riyad Mahrez.
In a nod to their successful retention of the Algerian, Klopp added: "He is a fantastic player. I can imagine a lot of clubs are interested in him.
"That he's still there shows somebody at Leicester convinced him. He's very important for them, 100 per cent."