ISTANBUL

FIFA, the world football's governing body, confirmed on Friday that clubs spent an all-time high $7.36 billion on international transfers during the summer window.

"An all-time top figure of USD 7.36 billion was spent on transfer fees in the 2023 mid-year window, which represents an increase of 47.2% compared to the 2022 mid-year period and 26.8% compared to the previous mid-year record set in 2019," FIFA said in a statement.

England led the transfer list in the 2023 mid-year period (June 1 – Sept. 1 2023) when it came to spending on transfer fees -- $1.9 billion --, the number of incoming transfers, and the number of outgoing transfers, FIFA reported.

Saudi Arabia came second in spending with a total of $ 875.4 million, ahead of France ($ 859.7 million), Germany ($ 762.4 million), Italy ($ 711.0 million) and Spain ($ 405.6 million).

"Agent fees also reached a new high, with USD 696.6 million paid during the mid-year window, bringing the total for 2023 to date to USD 853.0 million, which is 36.9% higher than in the whole of 2022 and more than in any other year," FIFA added.

Also, spending on transfer fees in women's football increased remarkably to $3 million, doubling last year on transfer fees.