:
Premier League clubs have spent a total of around £4.7 billion (around €5.5 billion, ed.). Huge deals for national and international television rights give clubs unprecedented buying power. Until ten years ago, only two transfers had exceeded the €100 million mark. In 2013, Gareth Bale's transfer to Real Madrid was the first to surpass the nine-figure mark. Three years later, Manchester United paid the same amount to Juventus for Paul Pogba. In both cases, the Premier League was the protagonist. Today, such blows, for the English championship, have become daily. And the transfer market that has just closed is proof of this.
Manchester City most lethargic
The queen of the season just ended is Manchester City, with 526 million euros spent. The latest to arrive is Enzo Fernandez, with City Group signing a check for 125 million pounds (145.9 million euros). But the Argentine is not the only midfielder to have arrived at Enzo Maresca's team for similar figures. Two players were scouted and bought by the Citizens during the World Cup. First Elliott Anderson, transferred from Nottingham Forest for 135.4 million euros, and then Ayyoub Bouaddi, who left Lille for 95 million euros plus five million in bonuses.
London completes the podium
City are in good company, however. One step below the Citizens is Chelsea. In a revolving door session, with transfers coming in and out like it was raining, the Blues secured Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, who became the most expensive Englishman of all time, reaching 117 million pounds (136.5 million euros).
And just a few miles from Stamford Bridge, north of London, is a club that has put an Italian at the heart of the project. Sandro Tonali is the most expensive new signing for Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham. Newcastle have spent a whopping £100 million, the equivalent of €115 million, including bonuses. For just a million less, two other players could have joined the club. It is €99 million, in fact, that Spurs have invested in both Savinho (formerly of Manchester City) and Mateus Fernandes (from West Ham).
Liverpool has not been spared either.
The sixth and final £100m mystery is Liverpool's new signing Bradley Barcola. The Reds paid the equivalent of €143.5m, including bonuses (£123m), to PSG for Mohamed Salah's successor. Also worth mentioning, although below the famous threshold, is the transfer of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle to Arsenal, as well as the almost €76m spent by Manchester United on former Brighton player Baleba. But the list goes on.
