FIFA has officially disclosed that the summer transfer window has set a new all-time record, with an impressive 11,000 men’s players transferring to new clubs around the globe.
The football governing body made this announcement on Tuesday, highlighting an extraordinary level of activity that led to an unprecedented £4.93 billion being spent globally between June 1 and September 2.
This remarkable figure is only second to the £5.67 billion spent in 2023, even though fewer player transfers were recorded during that year.
English clubs were the biggest spenders in the market, with a total of £1.29 billion spent on new signings.
Premier League clubs, in particular, demonstrated their financial power, with even smaller clubs such as Brighton, Bournemouth, and newly promoted Ipswich Town investing heavily, spending over £75 million each on strengthening their squads.
Brighton made significant additions to their team, including the signing of Georginio Rutter for £40 million and Matt O’Riley from Celtic for £25 million.
Bournemouth, after selling Dominic Solanke to Tottenham for £55 million, reinvested £40 million in acquiring Porto’s Evanilson.
Ipswich Town, determined to compete at the highest level, strengthened their squad with 12 new players, including Omari Hutchinson from Chelsea for a fee of £20 million.
Italy emerged as the second-highest spender, with clubs in the country splashing out £630 million, followed closely by France with £532 million, despite the ongoing uncertainties surrounding their domestic and international television deals.
Spain and Germany were also significant contributors to the spending spree, with expenditures of £457 million and £436 million, respectively.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, which had been a major force in the transfer market the previous year, reduced its spending to £329 million.
The standout transfer of the window was Atlético Madrid’s acquisition of Julián Álvarez from Manchester City for a hefty £64 million, making it the most expensive deal of the summer.