Europe’s big five leagues spent a record $4.21 billion (€3.62 billion) in the summer transfer window, according to a study published on Wednesday by Fifa.
The total amount of money spent by clubs in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France was up 6.6% on the $3.95 billion spent in the same transfer window last year.
The English Premier League unsurprisingly contributed more than any other league, but while its 20 clubs spent a combined $1.44 billion, the increase in spending was greatest in Italy, where it was up almost 75%.
That was fuelled to a large extent by Cristiano Ronaldo’s 100 million-euro move from Real Madrid to Juventus, while spending by clubs in Spain’s La Liga rose 42.2%. Kylian Mbappe also transferred permanently from Monaco to PSG, with a loan deal structured last summer.
Worldwide, the amount of money spent between June 1 and September 1 hit a record $5.44 billion, as 182 of Fifa’s 211 member associations had their transfer window open.
The results are taken from analysis of Fifa’s own International Transfer Matching System, which registers all completed transfers.