Manchester City's Record Spending Spree Caps Unprecedented Premier League Transfer Window
Manchester City completed a record-breaking summer transfer window by signing Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Premier League rivals Chelsea for 125 million pounds ($169 million) and Senegal winger Iliman Ndiaye from Everton for an initial $81 million, according to reports from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Vancouver Is Awesome. The Fernandez deal, which closed in the final hours before Tuesday's deadline, made the 24-year-old one of the most expensive players in soccer history and pushed City's total spending on new players past $600 million, a figure reported for a single window by both outlets.
City's outlay this summer, its first under manager Enzo Maresca following the departure of Pep Guardiola, also included midfield reinforcements Elliot Anderson for $155 million and Ayyoub Bouaddi for $117 million, part of a reported $440-million rebuild of the squad's engine room. The club also recouped almost $400 million in sales, including the departures of Rodri and Bernardo Silva, while Jack Grealish was loaned to Everton.
English Clubs' Unprecedented Spending
English clubs collectively spent approximately $4.7 billion on new players during the transfer window, a record for a single summer, according to figures cited by both The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Vancouver Is Awesome. Chelsea and Tottenham each spent over $400 million, with Tottenham signing Mykhailo Mudryk on loan and Tosin Adarabioyo permanently from Chelsea. The spending spree was attributed by both outlets to the Premier League's lucrative domestic and international broadcasting deals, which give its clubs significant financial advantages over other European leagues, as well as recent changes to the league's financial rules that allow top-revenue clubs to spend more freely.
The scale of English spending dwarfed that of other major European leagues. According to figures on soccer industry website Transfermarkt, cited by both outlets, Spain, Italy, Germany and France — the other so-called "Big Five" leagues — combined for $3.8 billion in spending. Italy was the second-highest spender with $1.34 billion.
Other Notable Moves Across Europe
The final hours of the window saw significant transfer activity across Europe's top leagues, as reported by Vancouver Is Awesome. Liverpool signed Lucca Brughmans for up to 30 million pounds, Newcastle signed Matias Fernandez-Pardo for 51 million pounds, and Aston Villa signed Ibrahim Mbaye from Paris Saint-Germain. Everton, despite selling Ndiaye to City, did not complete a move for Folarin Balogun.
In Italy, Juventus brought in midfielder Pape Matar Sarr on loan from Tottenham, while Beto moved to Fiorentina and Moise Kean joined Como on loan. Genoa signed 18-year-old Robinho Junior, the son of former Brazil international Robinho. In Spain, Barcelona signed Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal on a three-year deal, and Jonathan David joined Atletico Madrid on loan from Juventus. German club Bayer Leverkusen signed Guéla Doué and Moussa Diaby, while Marc Guiu left Chelsea for Leipzig, and French side Lille signed Maurits Kjaergaard from Salzburg.
The previous highest spend by English teams in a single window was 3.14 billion pounds ($4.25 billion) in 2025, according to Vancouver Is Awesome, making this summer's outlay a new record.