Uefa fears Premier League impact 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.
Uefa warns that the Premier League's spending surge is creating a two-tiered transfer market and threatening club finances. In its latest report, European football's governing body highlighted how English clubs are dominating the transfer market. The report stated that Premier League clubs spent €4.6bn (£4bn) on new talent, surpassing the combined spending of the eight largest European leagues.
Andrea Traverso, Uefa's executive director of finance, expressed concern that the rising transfer values could put future pressure on club financial results. The report noted that English clubs paid an average of €24m (£20.7m) per player, compared to just €4m (£3.4m) to €5m (£4.3m) in other major European leagues. The concentration of talent and market polarization is growing, with English clubs accounting for over 60% of deals and a sharp increase in big-value transfers between clubs (44% increase).
The domestic market in England is now as large as the next five markets combined. The number of high-value transfers (over €50m) has surged, with 35 such deals in 2026, of which Premier League clubs were responsible for 29. Uefa found little evidence of clubs using multi-club ownership structures to manipulate transfer fees, but the overall profit from selling academy players reached €6.8bn (£5.85bn) this summer, up €655m (£564m) from 2025.
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