Here’s a look at the biggest transfer spenders since 2010, with not too many surprises as four Premier League clubs make the top ten, including Chelsea and Manchester United.
Only seven teams have spent over a billion euros in this period, and in general Premier League clubs score pretty high on this list, with even Everton above Bayern Munich in total transfer fees paid.
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The English top flight is now widely regarded as one of the best in the world, with many clubs in the division able to sign big names and make it more competitive than most of the top European leagues.
While Juventus, Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain stroll to their respective domestic titles pretty much every season, no one has retained the Premier League this decade, and the top four tends to chop and change every year, even if the big six has remained largely the same.
This summer, newly-promoted clubs like Fulham and Wolves invested a lot in some big names and it’s nice to have a more even distribution of talent all the way down the table.
Anyway, here’s the top 20 in full, with figures provided by the Mail…
20) Borussia Dortmund (€531m)
Beaten Champions League finalists in 2013, Borussia Dortmund have made real progress in recent times without being able to spend as much as many of Europe’s elite.
19) Bayern Munich (€554m)
Surprisingly low on this list, Bayern Munich have been hugely dominant in the Bundesliga, but have managed to do so with some smart purchases like Robert Lewandowski on a free transfer, and bringing through home-grown players like Thomas Muller and Joshua Kimmich.
18) Valencia (€555m)
Not the most successful club on this list, it would be fair to say Valencia haven’t really seen a return for their big investment.
17) Napoli (€579m)
A major player in Serie A these days, Napoli have recruited well in recent times and one feels they will surely pick up a major title before too long.
16) Tottenham (€589m)
They didn’t make any signings this summer, but Tottenham have generally found the right balance in the transfer market, spending a fair amount on talented young players whose value has only increased.
15) Everton (€597m)
Another surprise name on this list, Everton have spent huge amounts in recent times but not made much progress, though they perhaps haven’t yet found the right manager to take them forward, with new appointment Marco Silva looking promising.
14) Arsenal (€671m)
Arsenal fans would certainly like to see them spend more, but the Gunners are fairly high on this list, with big names like Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang arriving in recent years.
13) AC Milan (€678m)
Not the force they once were, AC Milan have invested a lot in trying to get back to their glory years, but it’s not worked wonders so far as they continue to make some questionable signings.
12) Monaco (€706m)
Ligue 1 title winners in 2016/17, Monaco have had to spend big to come anywhere near competing with PSG for the title, and they’ve done well to land some pretty big names in recent years.
11) Inter Milan (€748m)
Like their Milan neighbours, Inter are not really the force they were earlier this decade, but their spending power means they are always there or thereabouts in the Serie A top four race.
10) Atletico Madrid (€764m)
A club who’ve been really on the up under Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid have done well to sign players on the cheap, sell them on at a profit and then compete with Europe’s big boys for some exciting transfers.
9) Roma (€809m)
Champions League semi-finalists last season, Roma do seem to make some pretty strong signings, but unfortunately also regularly see their best players poached by bigger clubs.
8) Real Madrid (€912m)
Surprisingly low for Real Madrid, but it is true that, Gareth Bale aside, they have spent vast sums on new players for a while now, with mainly the same core of players staying together for much of this decade.
7) Liverpool (€1.07bn)
The first on the list to go over a billion, Liverpool have certainly become big spenders in recent seasons, and now bring in top talent like Virgil van Dijk, Alisson and Naby Keita instead of blowing £35million on Andy Carroll.
6) Juventus (€1.08bn)
A club who’ve grown back into a dominant force this decade, Juventus started out recruiting smartly with free transfers like Paul Pogba and Andrea Pirlo, but can now compete with the big boys with some recent splashing out on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain.
5) Manchester United (€1.10bn)
No surprises here, with Manchester United investing huge amounts since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, but with a lack of a real plan so far seeing them fall behind their rivals despite putting so many big names together.
4) PSG (€1.24bn)
What a decade it’s been for PSG, who stunned world football with their signings of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe last year as they hope to turn their Ligue 1 dominance into a real stab at conquering Europe as well.
3) Barcelona (€1.25bn)
Once full of home-grown talent, Barcelona are now just like pretty much any super-club as they’ve invested huge amounts in recent times on big names like Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele.
2) Chelsea (€1.31bn)
Not quite the transfer market force that they once were as others have caught up, but it’s still been a busy decade for Chelsea, who have been one of the most successful clubs in England and Europe in this period.
1) Manchester City (€1.47bn)
Not too surprising to see Manchester City come out on top here, with the club becoming one of the richest in the world since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover, landing numerous world class names to put together a stunning squad that strolled to the Premier League title last season – their third in six years.
