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Premier League clubs have set a new record for summer transfer spending after their combined outlay reached £3.46bn, surpassing last year’s previous high of £3.14bn.
The record was confirmed on a dramatic deadline day, when Manchester City completed the signing of Iliman Ndiaye from Everton for an initial £60m before Enzo Fernandez’s £125m move from Chelsea was announced shortly after the window closed.
Clubs spent £475m on deadline day alone, significantly higher than the £391m spent on the final day of last summer’s window.
The latest figures, provided to BBC Sport by FootballTransfers.com founder Paul Macdonald, underline the financial strength of England’s top flight, with spending more than tripling the £1.13bn recorded five years ago.
English clubs dominate biggest deals
The scale of Premier League spending is reflected in the summer’s biggest transfers, with three of the 10 most expensive deals in football history involving English clubs.
Fernandez’s move to Manchester City became the joint-British transfer record at £125m, overtaking City’s £116m purchase of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest earlier in the window.
Chelsea also paid £117m for Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, while Liverpool agreed an initial £106m deal for Paris St-Germain forward Bradley Barcola, which could eventually rise to £123m.
Tottenham were another major spender, with their acquisition of Sandro Tonali potentially reaching £100m. They also paid £85m for Mateus Fernandes and could spend up to £85m on Savio.
Manchester United spent £70m on Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, while Arsenal paid £75m to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle.
City lead spending as Premier League clubs trade heavily
Manchester City ended the window as the biggest spenders, with their £458m outlay setting a new Premier League record for a single transfer window.
Chelsea followed with £349m, while Tottenham spent £302m. City and Chelsea also generated significant income from player sales, bringing in £304m and £382m respectively.
Newly promoted Ipswich Town spent £171m as they attempted to avoid an immediate return to the Championship, more than Manchester United’s £148m.
A striking feature of the window was the number of deals completed between Premier League clubs. Around 35% of transfers involving fees were between top-flight sides, up from 30% last year.
The figure rises to 44% when Premier League clubs’ purchases from elsewhere in the English football pyramid are included.
The trend could partly reflect clubs’ preference for players already proven in English football, while foreign clubs may also demand higher fees when dealing with Premier League sides because of the league’s considerable financial power.