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Global transfer record broken in summer 2023 as Premier League and Saudi Pro League splash out record fees
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Published 30/08/2023 at 16:50 GMT+1
It has been a transfer window like no other this summer and with three days still to run until Deadline Day brings business to a close, the global spending record has been broken. Premier League and Saudi Pro League clubs have led the way by splashing out eye-watering sums on new recruits. But spending has dropped in the other major European leagues compared to the previous record window of 2019.
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The summer of 2023 has been the highest-spending transfer window ever, with more than £6.5bn spent on players across the world.
Deadline Day is still three days away for clubs in Europe’s major leagues, but history has already been made - largely thanks to the free spending of clubs in England and Saudi Arabia.
A report from Transfermarkt says total transfer investments this summer have reached €7.631bn (£6.56bn), spent on 1,617 players.
That figure exceeds the previous record spend from the summer of 2019, when €7.568bn (£6.51bn) was forked out on transfer fees.
The Premier League has led the way with €2.43bn (£2.1bn) worth of signings, but a new force has emerged in the market this year in the shape of the Saudi Pro League.
Saudi Arabian clubs have spent €846m (£728m) overall so far, making it the second-highest spending league after the English top flight.
The likes of Neymar, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino have headed to the Middle East this summer.
Serie A’s spending totals €794 (£682m), then the Bundesliga on €696m (£598m), Ligue 1 with €691m (£594m) and La Liga with €398m (£342m).
Each of those four major European leagues has seen a reduction in spending compared to 2019.
A British record deal was agreed when Chelsea signed Moises Caicedo from Brighton for up to £115m in the most expensive deal of the summer.
Arsenal’s £105m capture of West Ham captain Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham’s £88.5m move to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund complete the top three priciest moves.
The top-spending clubs in the world this summer so far are Chelsea (£358m), Al-Hilal (£303m) and Arsenal (£202m).
The transfer window closes for Premier League clubs at 23:00 UK time on Friday, September 1.
The window in Saudi Arabia shuts later, although it is not clear exactly when.
FIFA says the window closes on September 20, but it has also been reported the deadline is September 7.
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