Transfers: three Spanish clubs on the podium of Top 5 clubs that spent the most in 2019 (CIES)

"In 2019, three Spanish teams (Club Atlético de Madrid, Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona) were at the top of the rankings for clubs having spent the most on transfer indemnities," said the CIES Football Observatory in its monthly report published on 04/09/2019.

"This finding reflects a cyclical need for squad renewal, but also the availability of considerable financial possibilities linked to the establishment of the Spanish top division (LaLiga Santander) as the second most powerful league on the planet after the English Premier League," added CIES, which stated that the European Top 5 clubs (Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A TIM, LaLiga Santander and Ligue 1 Conforama) had spent a record total of €6.622bn on transfers in 2019.

"The rankings of clubs having invested the most in transfer fees since 2010 demonstrate the incredible financial clout of a handful of dominant teams. While no club has spent as much as Manchester City FC (€1.6m), eight other teams have invested more than €1bn over ten years. All of the Champions League finalists since 2005 are part of the twenty teams…