English clubs lead way in global transfer fees

England leads the way when it comes to spending on overseas players in the international transfer market, a new FIFA report has revealed.

A total of more than £770m was spent by English clubs on recruiting from abroad, which was 67 per cent - or £308m - more than nearest rivals Spain.

English clubs also remain the biggest spenders in the world on international transfers as a whole, making up more than a quarter of the £2.6b spent across the globe in the last calendar year.

Manchester United splashed out the biggest individual fee for a single player on these shores when bringing Angel di Maria to Old Trafford from Real Madrid for a British-record of £59.7m.

The figures, which are contained in the FIFA TMS Global Transfer Market 2015 report, also shows that Spain continues to be the biggest market for signing players under the age of 18 from abroad.

Elsewhere, Brazil is the most active country in terms of international transfers with 1,335 heading both ways in all, with England closing in on that tally boasting a total of 1,263 - up 193 on 2013.