English clubs had the highest combined total spend on international transfers this summer transfer window as per FIFA analysis.
According to the world governing body’s International Transfer Snapshot published on Tuesday, in the men’s game English clubs spent a total of USD 1,146.6 million (£832.4 million) between June 1 and August 31 this year.
English summer transfer dominance
England’s expenditure not only topped the list, but was greater than that of the countries in second and third put together – Italy at USD 473.8 million (£343.9 million) and France at USD 428.9 million (£311.4 million).
Some of the biggest deals included Romelu Lukaku rejoining Chelsea from Inter Milan for a fee of around £97.5 million and Jadon Sancho moving to Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund for £73m.
English clubs also boasted the highest number of incoming transfers (380), as well as outgoing ones (494).
In terms of money received from transfer fees, England was third with USD 409.8 million (£297.5 million). German clubs recouped the most – USD 462.7 million (£335.9 million).
The report also said that the overall total spend on fees in the men’s game had dropped by 7.5 per cent from last year’s figure – from USD 4.02 billion (£2.9 billion) to USD 3.72 billion (£2.7 billion). It had been a record-breaking USD 5.8 billion (approximately £2.1 billion) in 2019, prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
The number of international transfers agreed this year (7,748) was quite similar to last year’s figure (7,771). 6,549 had fees, compared to 6,498 in the 2020 statistics.
In the women’s game, the total number of international transfers completed was 576. This represents an 8.7 per cent increase from 2020 (530). The number of deals involving a fee jumped from 18 to 31, representing a 72.2 per cent increase.
The total spend on transfer fees was USD 1.24 million – the first time that the figure had exceeded USD 1 million. That was a 51.4 per cent increase on the 2020 sum (USD 821,800, or £596,565).
Follow us on Twitter for regular football updates.
