Uefa fears impact of Premier League spending on transfer market
Uefa believes "a clear two-speed system" is emerging in the transfer market due to huge spending by Premier League clubs this summer.
The UEFA governing body has expressed concerns over the significant spending by Premier League clubs in the transfer market, which it believes is creating a two-speed system. According to the European club talent and competition landscape report, the estimated €4.6bn (£4bn) spent by Premier League clubs this summer surpasses the total spending of the next eight largest European countries combined.
Andreas Traverso, UEFA's executive director of finance, highlighted that transfer values are rising sharply, particularly in the English market, posing future pressure on club financial results. English clubs were involved in over 60% of the deals, paying an average of around €24m (£20.7m) per inbound player, compared to €4m (£3.4m) to €5m (£4.3m) in other major European leagues.
This disparity in purchasing power underscores a widening gap in the market. The report also noted that the transfer spend of the 20 Premier League clubs this year is equivalent to 56% of their annual revenue, significantly higher than the 33% average of the pre-Covid decade. Furthermore, English clubs engaged in 44% more big-value transfers between each other, totaling €1.55bn (£1.33bn), with a 35% increase in transfers above €50m.
The number of deals exceeding €50m has surged from 14 in 2024 to 23 in 2025, with 29 out of these involving Premier League clubs. Uefa also found limited evidence of multi-club ownership structures being used to manipulate transfer fees, with total transfer fees for such deals amounting to €152m (£130.8m).
Written by urgent.news from BBC Sport's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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