Gross spending by Premier League clubs during this summer's transfer window has already reached a record level of 725 million pounds ahead of Monday's deadline, according to Deloitte.
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The current spend of nearly three-quarters-of-a-billion pounds has topped the previous record -- set last year -- by nearly 100 million pounds, and with four days to go, that total is certain to rise.
Premier League #transferwindow spending is currently £725m, £100m more than last year's total http://t.co/hgTc7F3sd8 pic.twitter.com/WMp6S3Hlmn
- Deloitte UK (@DeloitteUK) August 29, 2014
Manchester United's signing of Angel Di Maria on Tuesday for 59.7 million pounds broke the British transfer record previously set by Fernando Torres' 50 million-pound move to Chelsea in 2012, while the Red Devils have also spent over 70 million pounds bringing in Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo this summer.
The Premier League's top sides have all spent significantly to strengthen their squads: Chelsea have secured big-money moves for Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa; Manchester City bought Eliaqium Mangala from Porto for 30 million pounds; Arsenal secured a deal of around 30 million pounds for Alexis Sanchez, while Liverpool have invested heavily in nine new recruits to cover the loss of Luis Suarez to Barcelona.
Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group, commented: "This summer transfer window is one of records. It has so far seen a higher level of spending than in any previous window, with a new record gross spend in a single window for a single Premier League club, and has included a record transfer fee for an individual player in English football.
"Considering that in each of the last two summer windows more than 20 percent of total Premier League clubs' spending has occurred on deadline day, there is still potential for a significant increase in that figure.
"There are a number of factors contributing to this summer's spend, including the showcase for global talent a World Cup provides. However, one of the main drivers of Premier League spending continues to be the increased resources clubs now have as a result of improved broadcast deals.
"Last season the average Premier League club received around 25 million pounds more in central broadcast distributions than they did in 2012-13, which helped fuel a record transfer window last summer. We are again seeing Premier League clubs use these resources to contribute to what is a new record this summer."
The Sports Business Group will release its full analysis of the 2014 summer transfer window on Sept. 2.