Premier League clubs spend record £3.48bn in summer transfer window
English Premier League clubs spent a record £3.48bn during the 2026 summer transfer window, which closed on Tuesday in Europe’s leading leagues. Manchester City made the largest outlay — £440.3m on new players, Anadolu Agency reports.
The combined spending of Premier League clubs exceeded the previous summer record of £3.19bn. According to Sky Sports, Italy’s Serie A spent £843.6m, Spain’s La Liga £603.5m, Germany’s Bundesliga £507.6m and France’s Ligue 1 £490.6m.
Most expensive transfers
On the final day of the transfer window, Enzo Fernández moved from Chelsea to Manchester City for a reported £125m. The figure matched the UK transfer record. The Argentine midfielder signed a five-year contract with the club.
City also paid Nottingham Forest £116m for Elliot Anderson. Morgan Rogers moved from Aston Villa to Chelsea for £117m, becoming the most expensive English footballer in history. Liverpool bought French forward Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain for an initial £107m, with the deal potentially rising to £123m including bonuses.
The biggest transfer outside England was RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande’s move to Real Madrid for a reported £106.7m.
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Club spending and failed deals
Chelsea ranked second in the Premier League for spending, with £342.4m. Manchester United focused on strengthening their midfield, signing Carlos Baleba for £70m, Andrey Santos for £50m and Youri Tielemans for £35m.
Nearly 40% of Premier League clubs’ transfer spending went on deals between teams in the division. League newcomers Ipswich Town, Coventry City and Hull City spent more than £400m combined.
At the same time, several notable moves did not materialise. Barcelona failed to reach an agreement with Atlético over Julián Álvarez. Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, the Madrid club’s chief executive, accused the Catalan club of dishonesty and a lack of professionalism, while Barcelona vice-president Rafa Yuste called his statements disrespectful. A possible £47.1m move by Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara to Chelsea also collapsed on the final day of the window.
Free agents
After the window closed, Philippe Coutinho, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Mauro Icardi were among those left without contracts. Footballers without valid agreements can join clubs as free agents outside the transfer window.
