Premier League clubs have set a new record for summer transfer spending after English top-flight sides collectively splashed out £3.46 billion during the transfer window.
The figure surpasses the previous record of £3.14 billion set 12 months earlier, underlining the financial strength and global pulling power of the Premier League.
Spending had already crossed the £3 billion mark before deadline day, but Everton’s sale of Iliman Ndiaye to Manchester City for an initial £60 million pushed the total beyond last year’s record.
The spending spree continued after the window closed, with Manchester City completing the signing of Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez for £125 million, matching the British transfer record.
Clubs spent approximately £475 million on deadline day alone, significantly higher than the £391 million recorded on the final day of the previous summer window.
According to figures provided to BBC Sport by FootballTransfers.com founder Paul Macdonald, this summer’s expenditure is more than three times the £1.13 billion spent by Premier League clubs five years ago.
Premier League clubs also dominated the list of football’s most expensive transfers during the window.
Three of the 10 biggest transfers in football history were completed by English clubs, while four of the five most expensive deals involving Premier League sides took place during the summer.
Fernandez’s £125 million move to Manchester City was the biggest of the lot, surpassing City’s £116 million acquisition of Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson.
Chelsea also paid £117 million for Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, while Liverpool committed an initial £106 million, potentially rising to £123 million, for Paris Saint-Germain and France forward Bradley Barcola.
Other major deals included Tottenham’s acquisition of Sandro Tonali in a club-record transfer that could reach £100 million, as well as the north London club’s £85 million deal for Mateus Fernandes from West Ham.
Manchester City also spent £85.6 million on Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, while Arsenal signed Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle for £75 million.
Manchester United completed the signing of Cameroon midfielder Carlos Baleba from Brighton for £70 million.
The dominance of English clubs was further highlighted by the fact that only six of the 20 most expensive transfers of the summer involved players moving to clubs outside the Premier League.
Even newly promoted Ipswich Town spent more on new players than several European giants, including Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus and reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain.
