Player agent fees: Clubs spend record £702m on international deals in 2023
English teams account for almost a third of a record £702m spent on agents’ fees in international transfers in 2023, says a FIFA report.
The figure represents an increase of 43% on the $623m (£493m) spent in 2022 and surpasses the previous record of $655m (£518m) from 2019.
English clubs were the biggest spenders this year with $280m (£221m).
More than $1m (£790,000) was spent on agents’ fees in women’s football for the first time.
The Football Agents in International Transfersreport says there were a record 3,353 international deals this year.
It excludes domestic transfers such as Declan Rice’s £100m move from West Ham to Arsenal and MoisesCaicedo leaving Brighton for Chelsea for £100m.
Harry Kane left Tottenham for Bayern Munich for £86m and Jude Bellingham joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in for £89m.
The report shows clubs in Europe accounted for 87% of spending on agents in 2023.
Clubs in the Saudi Pro League spent $86m (£68m), with Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and RiyadMahrez among the players to move.
South Korea had the greatest share of outgoing transfers, with agents involved with selling clubs in the K League making up 32% of the total spent.
Women’s clubs spent almost $1.4m (£1.1m) on agents in a record 125 transfers.
The Football Association has published the details of a tribunalwhich has ruled that its plans for new regulations to cap agents’ fees would be in breach of UK competition law.
It had planned to introduce the rules, which closely mirror new FIFA regulations at international level, in October, but a legal challenge was made by four player agencies, resulting in arbitration proceedings.
The FA has indicated that it will hold off implementing the cap to allow further discussions to take place with the agencies. The tribunal report said it reserves the right to make a final decision on the plans if no agreement can be made. -FIFA
