Which teams has the biggest net spend on transfers this summer?

Robin Bairner

• 3 Sept 2025 07:35 BST
• 5 min read

Analysis

The 2025 summer transfer window is now shut, and it will go down as one of the most exciting ever.

Liverpool caught the headlines with their ambitious spending, which is the biggest in the history of the game in a single window, while the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City also strengthened various areas of their squads.

Away from the Premier League, Real Madrid made a string of big-name additions to Xabi Alonso’s squad, but Champions League winners PSG, who have for so long been notable as big spenders in the market, were quiet after their success of 2024/25.

Clubs will be judged on their business at the end of the season, with one of the major talking points set to be their net spend.

What is net spend?

Net spend is simply the total value a club spent on new signings take away the money it made from player sales.

So if a team spent €100m on new players but only sold one player worth €10m in the same transfer window, it would have a net spend of €90m.

This is perceived as a better measurement of a club’s ability to do business on the transfer market as it judges a team’s capacity to buy and sell players based on what they already have.

It also points to teams that are investing heavily in their squads and also those who might face Financial Fair Play (FFP) sanctions in the future if they are not careful with their finances.

Which club had the biggest net spend during the 2025 summer transfer window?

Premier League clubs dominate the net spend table for the summer transfer window. Given their financial strength, this comes as little surprise.

Nine of the biggest 10 net spenders in the world game came from England’s top-flight.

Arsenal have the biggest net spend of the summer, with Mikel Arteta’s side splashing out an enormous €283.2m more than they made in player sales.

This eclipses even big-spending Liverpool. Arne Slot’s side were the only other club to breach the €200m figure, hitting €263m.

Another Premier League giant follows in the form of Manchester United. The Reds had trouble selling players and wound up spending €176.5m more than they spent.

Then comes Real Madrid to round out the top five, the only non-English club in the top 10 at €165m.

Interestingly, the newly promoted Premier League side Sunderland come next. There has been an increasing trend of teams pouring money into the market to compete when they win promotion, following Nottingham Forest’s success, and the Black Cats have gone down this round. They have spent €136.9 more than they have recouped.

No clubs from Serie A, Bundesliga or Ligue 1 make the list of biggest spenders. The league leaders are:

• Serie A: Como - €93.8m
• Ligue 1: Paris FC - €57.3m
• Bundesliga: Dortmund - €26.95m

While there are no Saudi Pro League teams in the top 10, Al-Qadsiah come in 13th with a net spend of €99m, much of which went on Atalanta striker Mateo Retegui. There are four clubs in the SPL with net spends over €50m, showing their ongoing desire to expand the quality of the division.

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