Premier League transfers soar to record high
Premier League spending has once again dominated the global transfer market, with clubs splashing out £2.7 billion on international signings throughout 2025, reports BritPanorama.
Manchester City topped the worldwide spending charts, followed closely by Liverpool and Arsenal in second and third positions, respectively.
Premier League sides occupied eight of the top 10 spots for highest-spending clubs globally. Newly-promoted Sunderland ranked sixth, with relegation-threatened Wolves in seventh.
Germany and Italy were the only other nations whose clubs surpassed the one billion dollar threshold in transfer expenditure. English football proved lucrative on the selling side, with clubs receiving £1.28 billion in fees for outgoing international transfers during the calendar year.
FIFA’s Global Transfer Report, published on Wednesday, disclosed that men’s professional football witnessed an unprecedented £9.49 billion spent on international transfers during 2025. This figure represents a surge of more than 50% compared with the previous year’s total of £6.23 billion. The spending also eclipsed the previous record of £7.01 billion set in 2023 by a substantial margin.
An all-time high of 86,158 international player moves were completed across men’s and women’s professional football and the amateur game combined. The number of clubs actively purchasing players also reached a record, with 1,214 clubs spending on incoming transfers.
Liverpool’s acquisitions of Alexander Isak from Newcastle United for a British record transfer fee of £125 million, Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for £116 million, and Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt at £79 million represented the three most expensive international deals of the year. Benjamin Sesko’s switch from RB Leipzig to Manchester United also ranked among the top transfers, while Newcastle’s club-record £65.5 million purchase of Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart and Martin Zubimendi’s £55.8 million transfer from Real Sociedad to Arsenal rounded out the top 10.
Manchester United slipped two places to 15th in the global spending rankings, with their international recruits including Sesko, Patrick Dorgu, and Senne Lammens. The women’s game continued its remarkable trajectory, with international transfer spending reaching a record £20.74 million in 2025, marking a dramatic increase of more than 80% compared with the previous year’s figures.
A total of 2,440 international transfers involving professional female players were recorded, marking a 6.3% rise from 2024. The number of clubs participating in women’s international transfers grew to 756, an increase of 8.3%. FIFA’s report highlighted that 135 clubs spent money on incoming transfers, up 23.9%, while 155 clubs received fees for outgoing players, representing a 25% increase.
The figures illustrate not only a financial explosion within the sport but also reflect the ongoing evolution of football’s commercial landscape, with the Premier League solidifying its status as a dominant force on the world stage.
