England leads way amid record January window

A record number of 5,973 international transfers were recorded in the January window for men's soccer, according to a FIFA report released Thursday.

That marks a 3% increase from the previous year in global deals between clubs in the countries that are processed by FIFA.

- January transfer window: Grading big signings in men's soccer

However, the total spending was down about 18% from last year's record, to $1.95 billion (£1.44B). That's still some 20% more than the previous record from January 2023, FIFA said.

In women's soccer, clubs spent more than $10 million (£7.38M) on international transfers, up 85% from the previous record a year ago, while the number of international transfers was down by 6% to 420.

English clubs were again the biggest spenders with a $363 million (£268M) outlay on transfer fees and recouped just $150 million (£111M) by selling players to clubs in other countries. Italy followed in second with $283 million (£209M), with Brazil, Germany, and France also making the top five.

French clubs benefited most, earning $218 million (£161M) in transfer sales, followed by Italy, Brazil, England and Spain.

In the United States, clubs spent $99 million (£73M) and took in $48 million (£35M) in transfer fees, according to the FIFA research.

English women's clubs also topped the spending with over $5 million (£3.69M), and also were the biggest earners.