Manchester United and Liverpool may be splashing out inflated fees to land England's brightest young talent but it appears Premier League teams are finally starting to adjust to the financial restrictions and quota limits being imposed on them.
While Liverpool paid Sunderland a reported 20 million pounds ($33 million) to sign one-time England international Jordan Henderson on Thursday, United is preparing to spend close to double that on highly rated English pair Phil Jones and Ashley Young.
At the other end of the scale, Arsenal snapped up local youngster Carl Jenkinson from third-tier side Charlton on Wednesday for 1 million pounds ($1.6 million). That acquisition may not garner the same headlines as their title rivals' recent movements in the transfer market, but it is just as telling.
In light of two recent changes in UEFA policy, clubs are having to adjust their long-term strategies.
The governing body's financial fair play rules - designed to end an era of so-called ''financial doping'' by clubs with wealthy owners - mean that, from next season, teams playing in UEFA's European competitions must earn as much as they spend. This summer's transfer window in Europe is therefore the last one before those rules come into force, as monitoring of club accounts starts on July 1.
Premier League clubs also agreed in 2009 to have at least eight homegrown players in their squads of 25, guided by UEFA's interest in the development of young players. In doing so, it has heaped pressure on clubs to get more out of their academy systems so young players come through the ranks and eventually play for the first team.
Another proposal, which FIFA and UEFA have tabled to European clubs but not finalized, is the so-called ''9-plus-9'' which would require one half of a club's 18-man matchday squad to have been trained ''before the age of 18'' within the national association.
FIFA's intention is that a quota rule forcing clubs to promote homegrown talent will, in the long term, strengthen the quality of national teams, and so maintain the commercial value of the World Cup.
The 25-year-old Young, the 19-year-old Jones, the 20-year-old Henderson and Jenkinson, 19, all fall under the category of ''homegrown'' players.
John Henry, the principal owner of the Boston-based Fenway Sports Group that took over Liverpool for 300 million pounds in October, immediately acknowledged the need for the club to add more youth to its squad.
And in a change of emphasis compared to recent years under the tenure of Spanish coach Rafa Benitez, Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli said the club is targeting locally sourced talent.
''If a player is English or British or has played in the Premier League, we'll look at that over someone who is abroad,'' the Frenchman said Thursday.
Chairmen and owners of Premier League teams and some lower-league English clubs gathered for their annual meeting on Friday, with discussions about the reforming of youth development and academy systems on the agenda.
Any improvement in that department can only benefit England's national team, which has struggled in recent major tournaments and whose sole global success remains the World Cup on home soil in 1966. Many people believe the increasing number of foreign players in the Premier League has contributed to England's lack of success.
United's imminent signing of Jones from Blackburn for around 16 million pounds ($26 million) is planned with one eye on the future, with the England under-21 player viewed as a long-term replacement for center back Rio Ferdinand. Jones can also play in central midfield.
Young, who is reported in sections of the British media to be ready to sign for United over the next few weeks, and Henderson are different in that they are expected to have an immediate part to play for their new clubs.
The clinching of Henderson's signature is another sign that Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is fully on board with his owner's approach to transfer dealings.
Dalglish signed 22-year-old England international Andy Carroll from Newcastle for 35 million pounds in January and toward the end of last season was happy to introduce youngsters such as Martin Kelly, Jack Robinson, John Flanagan, Jay Spearing and Jonjo Shelvey into his team.
He may have been away from the dugout for more than a decade but Dalglish has quickly got to the grips with the demands of the modern game in terms of youth development and squad quotas.
His fellow Premier League managers know they have to follow suit.
