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A record sum of almost \u00a36billion was spent on international transfer deals this summer, with Saudi clubs\u2019 spending topping \u00a3700million.<\/p>\n
The outlay by clubs in the Pro League was second only to the Premier League, whose teams spent just under \u00a31.6bn on overseas deals alone, according to FIFA\u2019s International Transfer Snapshot which was published on Friday.<\/p>\n
In total, 7.36bn US dollars (\u00a35.89bn) was spent globally in the summer window, while agents\u2019 fees for 2023 are already at a record annual high \u2013 696.6m US dollars or \u00a3558m.<\/p>\n
The spending on deals in 2023 is a 47 per cent increase on the same period last year, and 26.8 per cent up on the previous mid-year record set in 2019.<\/p>\n
Saudi clubs spent \u00a3701m on transfers according to FIFA, with Al Hilal\u2019s signing of Neymar for a reported \u00a377m from Paris St Germain the biggest single deal involving a Pro League club.<\/p>\n
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The spending figure could have been much higher. Al Hilal also bid a world-record \u00a3259m for PSG forward Kylian Mbappe, but the player refused to enter talks.<\/p>\n
Al Ittihad, meanwhile, had a bid of \u00a3150m rejected for Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah.<\/p>\n
Saudi clubs\u2019 spending on international deals was just ahead of France (\u00a3688.8m) and Germany (\u00a3610.8m). They also spent more than double the amount laid out by clubs in Spain, where the total was \u00a3324.9m.<\/p>\n
Saudi spending meant that for the first time, a confederation other than UEFA contributed more than 10 per cent of the total summer spend, with the Asian Football Confederation\u2019s figure at 14 per cent.<\/p>\n
Four Saudi clubs \u2013 Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, Al Nassr and Al Ahli \u2013 have been majority-owned by the country\u2019s Public Investment Fund (PIF) since June. The fund has assets under management estimated at a value of around \u00a3476bn.<\/p>\n
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Germany topped the list for money earned from international transfers at 1.11bn US dollars (\u00a3889m) \u2013 the first time a single country has earned more than one billion dollars from summer deals.<\/p>\n
The FIFA report also identified an increase in the number of international deals in the women\u2019s game for a sixth successive year. There were a record 829 transfers in the mid-year period including a record 66 which involved fees.<\/p>\n