Which teams had the biggest net spend on transfers this summer?
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 2 Sept 2023 12:50 BST
- 7 min read
Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal had the biggest net spend of any club in world football during the 2023 summer window, thanks to their ludicrous summer outlay.
They spent €353.1 million this summer, while they only sold Gustavo Cellar for €1.4m, meaning Al-Hilal’s net spend was €351.7m.
Neymar was their most high-profile addition and he is now the most expensive signing in Saudi Pro League history. He joined Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain for €90m in August.
MORE: Saudi Pro League summer transfers 2023: All the Done Deals
However, he was not the club’s only eye-catching arrival, with Malcom (€60m), Ruben Neves (€55m), Aleksandar Mitrovic (€52.6m), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (€40m), Kalidou Koulibaly (€23m), Bono (€21m) and Hassan Tambakti (€11.5m) all joining Al-Hilal this summer.
Odion Ighalo left the club on a free transfer, while former West Brom star Matheus Pereira joined Cruzeiro on loan.
Al-Hilal had the biggest net spend of any club in world football this summer transfer window by nearly €150m.
MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals
Chelsea spent a huge €464.1m on transfers this window, but they raised €257.4m through player sales, meaning they appear second on this list with a net spend of €206.7m.
Mauricio Pochettino's side attempted to balance the arrivals of Moises Caicedo (€116m), Romeo Lavia (€62.1m) and Christopher Nkunku (€60m) by selling Kai Havertz (€75m), Mason Mount (€64.2m) and Mateo Kovacic (€29.1m).
Paris Saint-Germain are narrowly behind Chelsea - with a net spend of €206.5m. The Parisians spent nearly €346.5m on Randal Kolo Muani, Manuel Ugarte, Ousmane Dembele, Lucas Hernandez, Bradley Barcola, Hugo Ekitike, Kang-in Lee and Xavi Simons.
Al-Ahli are the second Saudi Pro League team to feature on this list and they had the fourth-highest net spend in world football this summer, with their tally standing at €181.7m. Gabri Veiga, Riyad Mahrez, Roger Ibanez, Allan Saint-Maximin, Edouard Mendy and Franck Kessie were all purchased, while Roberto Firmino joined on a free transfer from Liverpool. They are yet to sell a player for a transfer fee.
The coup of Veiga was a significant one as the young Spaniard was a heavily sought-after property after his breakout year at Celta Vigo. Al-Ahli fought off competition from PSG, Chelsea and Napoli for the midfielder. He joined for €40m, becoming their record signing after eclipsing the €35m fee paid for Mahrez.
Arsenal had the fifth-highest net spend of any club this summer. Mikel Arteta’s side had a net spend of €167.7m this window, mainly due to the signings of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.
That trio cost the Gunners €231.6m, while they recuperated €65.1m from selling Folarin Balogun, Granit Xhaka, Matt Turner, Auston Trusty and Pablo Mari.
Al-Nassr are sixth on the list witha net spend of €165.1m this window.
They signed Otavio (€60m), Sadio Mane (€30m), Aymeric Laporte (€27.5m), Seko Fofana (€25m), Marcelo Brozovic (€18m) and Alex Telles (€4.6m), while they have not sold a single player for a fee.
Manchester United’s €140.5m net spend this summer ws the seventh-highest amount of any club.. Erik ten Hag was backed in the market with the additions of Rasmus Hojlund (€75m), Mason Mount (€64.2m), Andre Onana (€52.5m) and Altay Bayindir (€5m).
Dean Henderson, Anthony Elanga, Fred, Matej Kovar, Alex Telles, Zidane Iqbal, and Ethan Laird were all sold in Man Utd’s most positive window from a selling perspective in many years.
Tottenham's Deadline Day signing of Brennan Johnson pushed their net spend up to €137m after the arrivals of James Maddison, Micky van de Ven and more. They earned €116.6m through player sales, most of which came from Harry Kane's departure to Bayern Munich.
Bournemouth are eighth thanks to their €126.2m net spend, while Real Madrid had the 10th highest net spend so far this summer at €115m. The main reason for that is the €103m purchase of Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. They only generated €13m through player sales this window, while Arda Guler and Fran Garcia also arrived as new signings.
The 10 teams with the most net spend this summer
| Club | Net Spend Total |
|---|---|
| 1. Al-Hilal | €349.7m |
| 2. Chelsea | €206.7m |
| 3. PSG | €206.5m |
| 4. Al-Ahli | €181.7m |
| 5. Arsenal | €167.7m |
| 6. Al-Nassr | €165.1m |
| 7. Man Utd | €140.5m |
| 8. Tottenham | €137m |
| 9. Bournemouth | €126.2m |
| 10. Real Madrid | €115m |
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