The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) revealed in its annual report that the summer transfer window of 2025 witnessed unprecedented spending by clubs worldwide, with international transfer values reaching $9.76 billion, marking a leap of over 50% compared to summer 2024, approaching the $10 billion mark for the first time in the sport’s history.

FIFA stated that approximately 12,000 international transfer deals were concluded between clubs.

Women’s football continued its growth trajectory, recording over 1,100 deals valued at $12 million.

The most notable women’s transfer was Mexican player Lizbeth Obay from Tigres to the American Orlando Pride for $1.5 million, setting a new record.

Emilio Garcia Silvero, FIFA’s Head of Legal and Compliance, said: “We have observed a fully active transfer window for both men’s and women’s football. The increasing numbers in women’s transfers are equally impressive, confirming the rapid growth of the game at the club level.”

The English Premier League once again led the scene with a total spending of $3 billion.

German clubs alone received $893 million from their English counterparts in player deals.

The biggest deal was the transfer of German Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool for £116 million ($156.7 million) including bonuses.

Liverpool also strengthened its squad with French striker Ogo Iketike from Frankfurt, while Newcastle United signed German Nick Voltimade from Stuttgart in the club’s most expensive deal ever.

In terms of player numbers:

This market inflation reflects the race among major European clubs to strengthen their squads ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with increased demand for young stars and heightened competition among top leagues for talents from Brazil, Africa, and Eastern Europe.

Conversely, this massive spending raises discussions about financial sustainability and the need to tighten financial fair play regulations to prevent some clubs from becoming heavily indebted entities despite huge commercial profits.