Zurich, Jan.26 (BNA): Soccer’s international transfer market continued to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic with a record 20,000 deals between clubs from different countries last year, FIFA said Thursday.
Total spending worldwide was $6.5 billion in transfer fees for players who moved across borders between FIFA member federations an increase of 33.5% from 2021, according to FIFA’s annual review of the transfers it processed.
The biggest deals in the report included Erling Haaland to Manchester City, Antony and Casemiro to Manchester United, Aurélien Tchouaméni to Real Madrid and Darwin Núñez to Liverpool.
The FIFA report, however, does not include domestic deals between two clubs in the same country, like Arsenal buying Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City, reports AP.
Chelsea’s spending spree on Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella and Raheem Sterling, Tottenham signing Richarlison and Antoine Griezmann’s return to Atlético Madrid from Barcelona are also not included.
International spending included $73 million paid as a share of transfer fees to clubs which previously helped develop a player between the ages of 12 and 23.
Brazilian players were again the most traded internationally with 2,061 transfers more than double the next highest, Argentina and spending on them totaling $843.2 million.
Portuguese clubs made 901 transfer signings of players, and clubs in Brazil released the most players with 998 outgoing deals. The 338 transfers to Portugal from Brazil was the most common transfer path.
AHN