Hazard, Griezmann and João Félix head up record 2019 transfer spend
João Félix's move to Atletico Madrid was the biggest of 2019, as clubs spent a record €6.63 billion on transfers across the year.
The amount spend on transfers in 2019 set a new record, governing body FIFA has revealed, with deals for Eden Hazard, Antoine Griezmann and João Félix topping the bill.
A report issued by world football's governing body on Wednesday revealed €6.63 billion (£5.6 billion) was spent by clubs in the transfer market in 2019, an increase of 5.8 per cent on the previous year.
English clubs lead transfer splurge
The study also confirmed that English clubs spent the most, though the total figure of €1.37 billion (£1.14 billion) was a 22.1 per cent decrease from 2018.
João Félix's €126million transfer from Benfica to Atlético Madrid – who sold Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona for €120m – was the biggest deal of 2019, while Hazard left Chelsea for Real Madrid in a deal reportedly worth €100m.
Harry Maguire became the world's most expensive defender with a reported £80m switch from Leicester City to Manchester United, while Ajax sold young stars Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong to Juventus and Barcelona respectively for an initial €75m each.
There was also a rise of 16.3 per cent in spending in the women's game, with over 800 transfers made in total.