MANCHESTER CITY and Chelsea were the world’s biggest spenders on overseas transfers over the past completed decade.
This season’s two title contenders were among the 12 Premier League clubs to feature in Fifa’s list of the top 30 spending clubs.
But despite their outlays, none of the City or Chelsea purchases ranked in the top 10 most expensive transfers globally, while Manchester United’s captures of Paul Pogba and Argentine flop Angel Di Maria did.
And City and Chelsea were also ranked first and second in the number of players sent OUT on loan over the ten-year period.
Fifa’s report, running from January 2011 to the 2020 summer window that was disrupted by the Covid crisis, found that a staggering £35.35BILLION was spent worldwide on cross-border transfers over the period.
Neymar’s £198m move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 remains the single biggest fee paid globally, with Chelsea having finally broken the British record for an overseas signing – previously held by United’s £89m capture of Pogba – when they landed Romelu Lukaku for £97.5m from Inter this summer.
But the stats compiled by Fifa show just how much financial power the Prem has gathered as a result of its ongoing TV deals and the success of English teams both on and off the field.
The Fifa figures do not give exact fees but the study states that City made 130 overseas signings over the period, with Chelsea recruiting 95 players.
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And a SunSport calculation suggested both clubs were just short of £950m in spending on overseas-based players in the decade – although arguably many of their best deals were in taking players including N’Golo Kante, Kyle Walker and Raheem Sterling from Prem rivals.
Now cash-strapped Barcelona, followed by PSG, Real Madrid and Atletico made up the top six spenders.
But United, Arsenal, Juventus and Spurs made up the top 10, with Liverpool 14th, Leicester 20th and Southampton, Wolves, Everton, West Ham and Newcastle all in the leading 30 global spenders.
Fifa’s figures once again point to European finances proving a magnet for South American stars, with 15,128 Brazilians moving across borders, followed by 7,444 Argentines, 5,523 British players, 5,027 French and 4,287 Colombians.
Yet the world body also suggests the real money was creamed off by agents, with commissions rising to £465.3m in the pre-pandemic year of 2019 and totalling £2.54bn over the 10-year period.
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