FIFA says record $7.36B spent on international transfers in 2023 summer

The Federation of International Football Association, FIFA reported on Friday that football clubs spent an all-time high $7.36 billion on overseas transactions during the summer transfer window.

“An all-time high figure of USD 7.36 billion was spent on transfer fees in the 2023 mid-year window,” FIFA stated in a statement. “This represents an increase of 47.2% compared to the 2022 mid-year period and 26.8% compared to the previous mid-year record set in 2019.”

England topped the transfer list in the 2023 mid-year period (June 1 – Sept. 1 2023) in terms of transfer fee spending ($1.9 billion), the number of incoming signings, and the number of exiting moves, according to FIFA.

Saudi Arabia came second in spending with a total of $ 875.4 million, ranking ahead of France ($ 859.7 million), Germany ($ 762.4 million), Italy ($ 711.0 million) and Spain ($ 405.6 million).

“Agent fees also reached a new high, with USD 696.6 million paid during the mid-year window, bringing the total for 2023 to date to USD 853.0 million, which is 36.9% higher than in the whole of 2022 and more than in any other year,” FIFA added.