International transfers: 8,401 transfers completed during summer 2018 ($5.44bn, or €4.63bn)

"8,401 international transfers were completed around the world (between 01/06 and 01/09/2018), and global spending on transfer fees was $5.44bn (€4.63bn). Clubs of the Big 5 accounted for 77.5% of the global spending, having combined for a total of $4.21bn (€3.59bn). Compared to last summer (2017), spending by the Big 5 increased by 6.6%," said FIFA in the Summer 2018 edition of its "Big 5 Transfer Window Analysis", on 12/09/2018.

The report summarises the activity of the International Transfer Matching System (ITMS) during the 2018 summer transfer market. It focuses on the top five major countries in Europe (Germany, England, Spain, France and Italy), all divisions combined.

"With 1,629 incoming transfers in total, clubs from the Big 5 completed 0.6% more transfers than in the summer of last year. This marks the sixth consecutive increase in incoming transfer activity by the Big 5. The number of Big 5 clubs active on the international transfer market has increased from 431 (in 2017) to 443 (+2.8%), while the average number of incoming transfers per active club slightly decreased…