A record 9.63billion US dollars (£7.6b) was spent on international transfer deals in 2023, according to a new report from FIFA.
English clubs led the way, spending £2.3bn across the January and summer windows last year, out of a total which smashed the previous single-year record set in 2019 by more than two billion US dollars.
FIFA’s Global Transfer Report found Saudi Arabian clubs were the third-highest spenders on cross-border deals, splashing out 970m US dollars (£765.9m) in 2023 compared to just 50.4m US dollars (£39.8m) in 2022.
Chelsea were unsurprisingly identified as Europe’s top spenders on international deals, with five other English teams in the top 10 and a further five in the top 20.
The top 10 player transfers alone generated more t…