Manchester United Buys Real Madrid Player For A Record $99 Million After Dismal EPL Start

It's the largest fee ever paid by an British team for a player.

Di María, a 26-year-old Argentinian winger, is one of the best players in the world at his position. He had 17 assists in 27 La Liga starts last year, and was voted man of the match in the Champions League final, which Madrid won.

The record move comes after United stumbled out of the gates in the English Premier League. A loss to Swansea in the opening week was followed up with a draw at Sunderland - a set of results that new coach Louis van Gaal called "not good enough."

United finished seventh in the league last year. It was the worst season for the club since the inception of the Premier League. To turn things around the team has spent an eye-popping $218 million in transfer fees this summer, bringing in Di María, Ander Herrera, Marcos Rojo, and Luke Shaw.

If any team in England can afford this sort of spending spree, it's United.

The club reported record revenues last May. Since then they've more than doubled the value of their shirt sponsorship deal and triple the value of their shirt manufacturing deal.