Covid-19: -36.2% in transfers in January 2021 compared to January 2020 (-49.1% in value)

2,690 international transfers were recorded in January 2021, compared to 4,215 in January 2000: this represents a decrease of 36.2% and the lowest volume of activity recorded in six years, FIFA said on 17/02/2021 (market presentation to download, see links).

Regarding the amount of compensation, which had reached $1.16bn in 2020 (€1.05bn on 31/01/2020) for 568 transfers concerned (or $2m / €1.8m on average per transaction), in 2021 this stands at $590m (€486m on 31/01/2021), or a decrease of 49.1% (395 transfers concerned, or $1.5m / €1.2m per transaction), underlined FIFA. Amplified by the decline of the value of the dollar, the decrease even reaches 53.7% when it is converted into euros.

"Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March last year, there has been an overall slowdown in the international transfer market. That trend continued in the January 2021 transfer window, which saw the least activity in the past six years," summed up FIFA.

• 85.3% of…