Transfers: €5.82bn in transfer fees spent by the Top 5 European clubs in 2018 (CIES)

Top 5 European clubs spent a total of €5.82bn in transfer fees in 2018, according to the Football Observatory of the International Centre for Sport Studies in its monthly report published on 03/09/2018. For the first time since 2012, this amount is down (-2.4%) compared to the previous year (€5.96bn in 2017).

"This report analyses the paid transactions having taken place since 2010 involving teams from the five major European championships: the English Premier League, the Spanish Liga, the German Bundesliga, the Italian Serie A and the French Ligue 1," said the CIES.

"The English top division, more than any other championship, occupies a central position (see below). The spatial analysis of the balance sheets of international transfers having involved big-5 league teams illustrates the key role played by the Premier League in the structuration of the market. Between 2010 and 2018, the six international relations with the greatest net monetary flows involve the English top division: -€905m with France, -€831m with Spain, -€645m with Italy, -€582m with Germany, -€412m with Portugal…