Summer transfer spending reaches all-time high of £5.8bn, FIFA report reveals

An all-time record of $7.36billion (£5.89bn) was spent by clubs during this summer’s transfer window between June and September, according to FIFA. 

The figure represents an increase of 47.2 per cent compared to the corresponding June 1 to September 1 period in 2022 and 26.8 per cent to the previous record set in 2019.

Moises Caicedo’s £115million move from Brighton to Chelsea was the biggest move of the summer window, followed by Declan Rice’s £105m transfer from West Ham United to Arsenal. 

Other big moves saw Jude Bellingham sign for Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth €103m (£88.3m) and Harry Kane move to Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur, which was worth more than €100m (£86.4m, $110m).

Overall, there were more than 10,000 mid-year transfers. 

England were the biggest spenders when it came to transfers ($1.98bn, £1.5bn), while Saudi Arabia were second on the list after spending a total of $875.4 million (£701m), ahead of France ($859.7m, £688.7m), Germany ($762.4m, £610.8m), Italy ($711.0m, £569.6m) and Spain ($405.6m, £324m).

Emilio Garcia Silvero, FIFA chief legal & compliance officer, said: “England topped the list in the 2023 mid-year period when it came to spending on transfer fees, the number of incoming transfers (449) and the number of outgoing transfers (514). Germany, however, was the number one in terms of receipts from transfer fees ($1.11bn, £881.3m) – this being the first time ever that clubs from a single association have received more than $1bn (£801.1m) in the mid-year transfer window alone.”

In relation to the women’s game, Garcia Silvero said that “the number of transfers during the mid-year registration period also increased for the sixth year in a row, with 829 transfers, 66 of which were with fees”.

There were 634 incoming and 565 outgoing transfers across Europe in women’s football, while money spent on transfer fees more than doubled compared to the 2022 mid-year window, reaching a record of $3m (£2.4m). 

Agents fees also reached a record high and saw a 36 per cent increase compared to the previous year. $696m (£557m) was paid, bringing the total for 2023 to date to $853m (£683.6m). 

The next transfer window for most clubs across the globe will take place in January 2024, which will open on the first of that month and end on February 1 at 11pm GMT.

(Photo: Getty Images)