Daijiworld Media Network - Zurich

Zurich, Feb 6: A record 5,973 international transfers were recorded during the January trading window in men’s football, according to a FIFA report released recently. This marks a three per cent increase compared to the previous year in cross-border deals processed through FIFA.

Despite the rise in the number of transfers, total spending declined by around 18 per cent from last year’s record to USD 1.95 billion. However, FIFA noted that the figure is still nearly 20 per cent higher than the previous January record set in 2023.

In women’s football, clubs spent more than USD 10 million on international transfers, registering an 85 per cent jump from the previous record a year ago. The number of international transfers in the women’s game, however, fell by six per cent to 420.

The FIFA research does not include domestic transfers involving clubs within the same country.

English clubs emerged as the biggest spenders in the men’s game, shelling out USD 363 million on transfer fees, while earning USD 150 million from player sales abroad. Italy followed with USD 283 million in spending, with Brazil, Germany and France rounding off the top five.

French clubs benefitted the most from transfer sales, earning USD 218 million, followed by Italy, Brazil, England and Spain.

In the United States, clubs spent USD 99 million on transfers and earned USD 48 million in fees, the report said.

In women’s football, English clubs once again topped the spending chart with outlays exceeding USD 5 million and also emerged as the highest earners in transfer fees.