Bundesliga CEO calls for international salary cap to combat EPL dominance

Tom Weber

• Updated: 3 Oct 2025 16:17 CDT
• 4 min read

News

Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has called for an international salary cap to bridge the growing financial gulf between the Premier League and the rest of Europe.

The English top flight has established an almost unrivalled position of dominance in football's transfer market. Nowadays, Premier League clubs can beat almost anyone in the world to signings.

In the bygone summer window, Premier League clubs spent €3.59 billion on signings, which is more than the combined expenditure of the other four 'top-five' leagues.

This has been a common theme in recent years, and this bubble is showing no signs of bursting anytime soon. Because of the massive TV revenues on offer in England, as well as the influx of rich owners, even promoted Premier League minnows can spend more than traditional European giants.

Other leagues have had to accept their place in the food chain. Most teams in the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 acknowledge that the only way to be financially sustainable is to become a producer of Premier League-level talent.

Carro wants market reform

However, some are not willing to accept this state of affairs. Speaking at Bloomberg's Future of Finance conference earlier this week, Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro called for an international salary cap to level the playing field.

Carro, who says that he is usually 'against regulation,' argued that the Premier League is beginning to transcend the Champions League, which is undermining European football's most attractive 'product.'

"The Premier League is trying to become the number one product in Europe, even above the Champions League," the Spaniard said. “I'm normally against regulations, but it's something I think we have to fight for.”

Carro previously complained that Leverkusen, one of the most affluent clubs in Germany, were beaten to a player by a promoted Premier League side because the English club could offer a higher salary.

Carro's idea is not a novel one. UEFA began looking into the possibility of introducing a salary cap in 2023, with president Aleksander Ceferin stating that the plan was to be implemented 'as soon as possible.'

However, the FIFPro players’ union, as well as other stakeholders, raised concerns. The only thing that has to date come of UEFA's efforts to curtail spending is its new Squad Cost Ratio rule, which limits permitted expenditure to 70 per cent of total revenues over three years.

UEFA has enforced this regulation more stringently than the Premier League has done with its Profitability and Sustainability Rules. Europe's governing body has, for example, not allowed Chelsea and Aston Villa to register the sales of their women's teams on their books.

However, as this rule is still tied to overall income, Premier League clubs retain a significant financial advantage even if they have to be more aware of their spending.

A salary cap is not the only market reform that has been floated in recent years, either. There have also been attempts by some of Europe's top leagues to change the transfer window so that it closes before the new season starts to avoid confusion and uncertainty in the opening games.

However, these attempts have repeatedly been frustrated by individual leagues refusing to cooperate. In 2024, LaLiga was the only top-five league not to agree to the change. This summer, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 joined LaLiga in rejecting the plan.

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