Premier League clubs set summer transfer spending record at £3.46 billion

Premier League clubs have pushed summer transfer spending to a record £3.46 billion, extending a sharp rise in the English market.

Top-flight clubs had already passed £3 billion before deadline day, exceeding the previous record of £3.14 billion set 12 months earlier. They then spent another £475 million on the final day, compared with £391 million during the same period last year. Five years ago, the total stood at £1.13 billion.

English clubs also dominated the biggest deals. Three of the 10 most expensive transfers in football history were completed by Premier League teams. Manchester City’s late confirmation of Enzo Fernández’s signing lifted its window spending to £458 million, a new league record for one transfer window. The club also brought in £304 million from player sales.

Chelsea ranked second among the biggest spenders after paying £349 million, but sales worth £382 million left the club with a net profit of £33 million. Tottenham spent £302 million as it sought to avoid another difficult season and return to the upper end of the table.

Newly promoted Ipswich spent £171 million in its attempt to avoid an immediate return to the Championship, more than Manchester United’s £148 million outlay on new signings. Hull, also back in the Premier League, added 18 players, including six on deadline day.