Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce admits the British market is too rich to work in.
Newcastle have spent £12million on Swansea midfielder Jonjo Shelvey and made a bold move for Saido Berahino – West Brom are demanding as much as £30m for the striker – but Allardyce will look overseas for his players.
"It's the size of the fees and the lack of players' availability in this country," said the 61-year-old when asked why he was concentrating his search beyond these shores.
"It's £30million for Berahino. That tag, because he's English, or because he's played in this country, or because he's a home-grown player, because he's a striker, is the size of the valuation now.
"The foreign market has always been better value for money overall."
Allardyce, though, concedes that he would have been interested in Shelvey and is at a loss to explain why Swansea sold him to a relegation rival.
"It appears they let Jonjo Shelvey go because, for some reason, they said he was disruptive, I don't know why or how," he said.
"If I'd have needed a midfield player I would have liked Jonjo Shelvey, but I didn't need one."