By PA SPORT STAFF and LEWIS BROWNING FOR MAILONLINE
Sunday August 28, 2022
Premier League clubs have already broken their spending record for a summer transfer window with the deadline still a week away, splashing out £1.5billion so far and exceeding 2017's record of £1.43billion.
It is also more than the £1.44billion spent in the whole of last season and, with the all-time record for a Premier League season standing at £1.86billion – also in 2017-18 – it is not out of the question that the summer window alone could surpass that mark.
According to analysis from Deloitte, gross spending in the top flight stood at £1.5billion at the start of Thursday with the figure still set to rise drastically before next Thursday's deadline.
Forward Darwin Nunez joined Liverpool for £85.5million from Benfica earlier this summer
Chris Wood, assistant director in Deloitte's Sports Business Group, said: 'The record levels of spending that we've seen in this summer transfer window so far provides a sign that the business models of Premier League clubs are rebounding post-Covid.
'Whilst this is encouraging, the importance of clubs establishing responsible and sustainable spending policies cannot be overstated.
'Clubs must balance their desire to be competitive on-pitch with the need to protect long-term financial and operational viability.'
At this point in last year's window, the gross spend of Premier League clubs was £895m, and increased by over £200million in the final week of the window.
Premier League clubs have signed 135 players this summer, already more than in the 2019 or 2020 summer windows and closing in on last summer's 148. Two-thirds of those deals have seen a fee paid, including 14 separate players moving for reported fees in excess of £30million.
That list is topped by Darwin Nunez's £85.5million move to Liverpool, while Chelsea have spent £60million on Marc Cucurella, £47.5million on Raheem Sterling and £34million on Kalidou Koulibaly.
Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal have each spent two fees over £30million and Tottenham laid out £60million to bring in forward Richarlison from Everton, while Newcastle, West Ham and Wolves have also contributed to the figure.
This summer's spending has exceeded the entirety of last season's, which included Jack Grealish's £100million move to Manchester City
The record 2017-18 season saw Virgil van Dijk join Liverpool from Southampton in January
Morgan Gibbs-White's move from the latter to Nottingham Forest could join the list if he triggers the add-ons in the deal.
The record 2017 window included Romelu Lukaku's £75million move to Manchester United and Chelsea's £60million capture of Alvaro Morata, while Manchester City spent big on Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Ederson.
The January window then included big-money moves for centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Aymeric Laporte to Liverpool and City respectively and striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal.
Several sides are still looking to add to their squads late in the window, with Chelsea, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest among those still far from done in the market.