Top 10 spending clubs in summer transfer window

Updated: 1 Sept 2021 18:43 BST
5 min read

Martin Odegaard, Arsenal, 2021/22 — © ProShots

With the transfer window coming to an end on Tuesday night, we now know which clubs have spent the most amount of money this summer.

Some clubs sold youth players and back-up stars to fund the signing of new players, while other clubs dug into their deep pockets to break new transfer records.

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In all, the past few months have been the most remarkable for transfer activity in the history of football.

So, who were the biggest spenders of the summer transfer window?

10. West Ham - £64m (€74.5m)

Looking to build on last season's Europa league qualification, manager David Moyes has now been backed with a squad that should be able to compete on multiple fronts.

Kurt Zouma (£31.5m) is a Premier League-proven defender, while Nikola Vlasic (£27m) has been given a second chance to show his talents in the Premier league after a difficult time at Everton three seasons ago.

9. Rennes - £68m (€79.5m)

The loss of Eduardo Camavinga to Real Madrid on deadline day represents a huge loss to the Ligue 1 side. However, a plethora of signings for between £10-15m have made it a positive window for Stade Rennais.

The left-field purchases of Kamaldeen Sulemana (£13.5m) and Lovro Majer (£11m) from Nordsjaelland and Dinamo Zagreb, respectively, provide more reason for excitement.

8. PSG - £71m (€83m)

Having signed Lionel Messi, Gini Wijnaldum, Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma on free transfers, Paris Saint-Germain’s spot on this list is a little misleading.

However, the French giants have still spent a huge amount of money in bringing Inter right-back Achraf Hakimi to the club for £54m and Danilo Pereira from Porto for £14.5m.

7. Roma - £84m (€98m)

With Jose Mourinho now in charge at the club, Roma clearly mean business and that can be seen from their business in the transfer window.

Not only did the club spend £36m on Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham but they’ve also signed striker Eldor Shomurodov from Genoa for £16m, left-back Matias Vina from Palmeiras for £12m and goalkeeper Rui Patricio from Wolves for £10m.

6. Villa - £91m (€106m)

Aston Villa are clearly intent on adding to an impressive season in the Premier League last season with the signing of Emiliano Buendia from Norwich for no less than £35m.

Following the departure of Jack Grealish to Man City, the club then used those funds to sign Southampton striker Danny Ings for £32m and Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey for a further £29m.

5. RB Leipzig - £93m (€108m)

RB Leipzig were the highest spenders in Germany, but have actually broken even so far. The sales of Ibrahima Konate, Dayot Upamecano and Marcel Sabitzer have funded some excellent acquisitions.

Leipzig replaced the two centre-back departures with Josko Gvardiol (£17m) and Mohamed Simakan (£13.5m), two outstanding youth defenders from Dinamo Zagreb and Strasbourg respectively. Elsewhere, Angelino made his loan move from Man City complete for £16m, while Benjamin Henrichs was signed from Monaco for £13.5m.

The club failed to adequately replace Timo Werner last season, but have done so now with the acquisition of Andre Silva (£21m) from Eintracht Frankfurt. And the signing of Ilaix Moriba (£14.5m) from Barcelona could be the best of the lot.

4. Chelsea - £103m (€120m)

Unlike a number of clubs on this list, Chelsea have spent the entirety of their transfer budget on a single player.

Following a season that underlined their need for a proven goalscorer, the west London club went out and bought one of the best in the business in Inter striker Romelu Lukaku (103.5m).

The Belgian international has made his return to the Premier League side and in the process become one of the most expensive players in the world.

3. Man City - £110m (€127.5m)

Few would be surprised to see Manchester City near the top of any list documenting the spending of some of Europe’s biggest clubs. The Premier League champions can currently lay claim to the most expensively assembled side of all time and they wasted no time adding to it this summer.

Alongside Kayky (£9m) from Fluminense, the club made one of the biggest signings of the summer with the purchase of Aston Villa star Jack Grealish for £106m.

Yet, the Citizens have been left somewhat disappointed not to sign Harry Kane this summer.

Jack Grealish, Manchester City, 2021/22 — © ProShots

2. Man Utd - £120m (€140m)

Over the last 12 months the Red Devils have made the transfer of Jadon Sancho their number one priority in the market, and this summer they finally got their man in a £76.5m deal with Borussia Dortmund.

The club then doubled down on their intent to challenge for serious silverware this season by signing Real Madrid central defender Raphael Varane for a further £36m.

But, in a remarkable set of circumstances, club legend Sir Alex Ferguson managed to convince the great Cristiano Ronaldo to wave off interest from rivals Manchester City in favour of 'The Theatre of Dreams' for a fee of just £13.5m.

1. Arsenal - £142.5m (€166m)

The Gunners signed Ben White from Brighton for £50m, a huge amount for a defender who has never been tested against European competition. .

Albert Sambi Lokonga also arrived from Anderlecht for around £16m, while Nuno Tavares was brought in to provide left back cover for Kieran Tierney, costing £7m.

However, the spending didn’t stop there. Not only did the London club pay £25m for back-up goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale but they also spent a further £32m bringing Martin Odegaard back to the club, as well as the deadline day signing of Takehiro Tomiyasu for £16.5m.

Arsenal have outspent every club in Europe, though it appears they have not improved anywhere near as much as some.