A total of 78,742 cross-border transfers went through across the professional and amateur game.

The 22,779 transfers in men’s professional football saw £6.89bn ($8.59bn) spent on transfer fees as players moved between clubs in different countries – the second highest amount ever.

The record amount of money spent on international transfers in a year remains the £7.6bn ($9.66bn) from 2023.

In the women’s professional game in 2024 there were 2,284 transfers, an increase of 20.8%, and total spending of £12.5m ($15.6m) – more than double the amount in 2023.

English clubs were both the highest spenders and recipients of transfer fees in 2024, with £1.51bn ($1.88bn) spent on transfers and £1.07bn ($1.34bn) received.

In the amateur game – both men’s and women’s – there were 53,679 cross-border transfers, a rise of 4.3% year on year and also a new record.

Fifa’s Global Transfer Report 2024 has an interactive website which contains detailed transfer data and trends for each national association.

Almost 40% of all transfer spending in the men’s game was accounted for by the top 2.5% deals, which included fees of at least £16m ($20m) per transfer.

Brazilian clubs had the highest number of transfers with 1,102 incoming and 1,113 outgoing.

The number of clubs that spent money on incoming transfers continued to grow, reaching a record high of 1,100 in 2024.

And the number of clubs that received a fee for at least one outgoing transfer climbed to 1,378, also a new record.

After months of speculation about who could go where, the January transfer window is now open and some of those rumours could soon become reality.

We’ve gathered some of the most talked about potential moves that could happen in the next few weeks.

Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City)

Linked with: Newcastle, Juventus

Kalvin Phillips scored his first goal for Manchester City when they beat Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League on 13 December, but it is unlikely to be enough to prolong his stay at Etihad Stadium.

Newcastle have been strongly linked with a move for the England midfielder, while a transfer overseas could be an option with Italian giants Juventus also reported as a possible destination.

Jadon Sancho (Manchester United)

Linked with: Borussia Dortmund

It has long been clear Jadon Sancho’s future lies away from Old Trafford, with the forward having been exiled from the first team after a fall out with Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.

His former club Borussia Dortmund have been mooted as a possible destination but wages appear to be the main stumbling block.

Donny van de Beek (Manchester United)

Linked with: Eintracht Frankfurt

Things have not worked out for Donny van de Beek at Old Trafford.

The Netherlands international has made just 62 appearances in three and a half seasons at Manchester United and went on loan to Everton in the 2021-22 season.

Van de Beek looks set for another temporary move away from the Red Devils in January, with a loan switch to German side Eintracht Frankfurt looking the likely destination.

Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

Linked with: Chelsea, Newcastle

England international Aaron Ramsdale lost his Arsenal place to David Raya in September, and with a European Championship next summer may seek a January move to ensure regular first-team football.

Chelsea and Newcastle have both been linked with a move for Ramsdale.

Conor Gallagher (Chelsea)

Linked with: Tottenham

Conor Gallagher has been a first-time regular at Chelsea this season and even captained the side on a number of occasions, which makes it somewhat surprising that he could be heading elsewhere in January.

The Blues are said to be needing to balance the books after some big spending over the past 18 months and Gallagher could be sacrificed to help fund that.

The England midfielder is believed to be available for around £50m and has been linked with a switch to Chelsea’s London rivals Tottenham.

Ivan Toney (Brentford)

Linked with: Arsenal

Arsenal faltered in their title challenge on 28 December when they lost 2-0 at home to West Ham – a game that highlighted a need for someone to put away the many chances they created. Mikel Arteta’s side had 30 efforts on goal with only eight on target.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has long been rumoured to be a priority January signing to bolster Arsenal’s attack.

Toney is still serving his eight-month ban from football for breaching the Football Association’s betting rules but is set to return on 17 January.

Joao Palhinha (Fulham)

Linked with: Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool

Fulham attempted to warn off clubs interested in midfielder Joao Palhinha by giving him a new contract in September, but their resolve looks set to be tested in January.

Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Liverpool have all been linked with a move for the Portugal international.

Fulham are determined to not let him leave on the cheap and are believed to be wanting around £60m for the player.

Thomas Partey (Arsenal)

Linked with: Juventus

Injuries have limited Thomas Partey’s appearances at Arsenal this season and with Mikel Arteta believed to be needing to sell players to fund arrivals in January, the midfielder could make way.

The 30-year-old is back in training after a muscle problem kept him out for two months and he has been linked with a move to Italian giants Juventus.

Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea)

Linked with: Crystal Palace, Bayern Munich, Roma

Like Conor Gallagher, Trevoh Chalobah may have to leave Chelsea in January to help them balance the books.

The defender has not played for the Blues all season after suffering a thigh injury during pre-season.

A move abroad seems likely for Chalobah, with Bayern Munich and Roma reportedly interested, although so too are Crystal Palace.

Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal)

Linked with: Aston Villa

The England midfielder has recently returned for Arsenal from injury but could move in January if Mikel Arteta needs to move things around to bolster his squad.

Aston Villa have been linked in a potential player-plus-cash deal, with fellow Douglas Luiz moving the other way.

Raphael Varane (Manchester United)

Linked with: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich

The defender is out of contract at the end of the season, and so Manchester United could be tempted to cash in during January.

The 30-year-old France international has been linked with a return to Real Madrid, but Bayern Munich are also said to have entered the race to sign him.

A move may depend on Manchester United’s injury list, with a number of their defenders sidelined.

That deal helped set a new Premier League spending record of about £1.9bn – smashing the previous record of £1.4bn in 2017 – and dwarfing the rest of Europe.

Nine of the 20 top-flight clubs spent in excess of £100m as total expenditure bounced back after two seasons of Covid-impacted decline.

Other records included:

• Premier League clubs spending more than Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A and the German Bundesliga combined
• Chelsea spending more in one window than any other club in Premier League history
• Manchester United smashing their own summer spending record
• Nottingham Forest signing more players in one summer than any other British club in history

The combined outlay of the 20 clubs during the window, which was open from 10 June until 1 September, was 67% higher than the previous summer’s total of £1.1bn.

According to financial services firm Deloitte, the 2022-23 season already has the highest transfer spend since the two-window season began – exceeding the previous record of £1.86bn, set in 2017-18, by 3%. And that is before the January transfer window has even opened.

Some of Deloitte’s other key findings from the window include:

• Gross spending across all of Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues – Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 – increased by 52% to £3.88bn
• Premier League clubs were responsible for 49% of that spending, the highest proportion since summer 2008 and nearly three times that of the second-biggest spenders Serie A (£646m)
• Premier League clubs’ net transfer spend surpassed £1bn for the first time ever
• Premier League clubs signed 169 players, compared to 148 in summer 2021 and 132 in summer 2020
• The proportion of players being signed for a fee increased to 66% in summer 2022 from 45% in summer 2021
• Championship clubs’ gross spend more than doubled on the previous summer to £86m but was still some way off pre-Covid levels (2017-19 three-year average: £169.4m)

Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said: “The record level of spending during this transfer window is a clear indication of Premier League clubs’ confidence, as fans return to stadia and a new broadcast cycle begins.

“It’s now become part and parcel of the Premier League that clubs are willing to pay significant sums to maximise performance. This season, the desire to acquire playing talent has reached new levels as the pressure for clubs to stay in the competition is higher than ever.”

• What were the deadline-day signings?

Fourteen of the 20 Premier League clubs made at least one new signing on deadline day. Highlights include:

Manchester City bolstered their defence with the signing of Switzerland international Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund on a five-year deal.

As well as signing Antony, Manchester United completed a season-long loan deal for Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.

Everton signed a couple of midfielders, with Senegal international Idrissa Gueye rejoining the Toffees from Paris St-Germain, and James Garner moving from Manchester United.

Liverpool also added a midfielder to their squad, with Brazil international Arthur Melo joining on a season-long loan from Juventus.

Leicester signed Belgium centre-back Wout Faes from French club Reims on a five-year deal to replace Wesley Fofana, who joined Chelsea for about £70m on Wednesday.

Nottingham Forest signed three players to make it 21 new faces this summer, with defender Loic Bade the last to arrive – on loan from Rennes.

Fulham had a busy deadline day, bringing in four players including former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Willian.

Chelsea announced the final two deals of the night, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joining from Barcelona on a two-year deal, and Switzerland midfielder Denis Zakaria joining on a season-long loan from Juventus.

• What were the big transfers of the summer?

It was the start of a new era at Chelsea this summer with Todd Boehly taking over the club from Roman Abramovich, and the American billionaire certainly made his presence felt. The Blues spent more money in a single window than any club in Premier League history.

According to football website Transfermarkt, more than £250m went on the likes of Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella, Kalidou Koulibaly and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. As well as being a Premier League record, it is the second-highest summer spend by any club in the world after Real Madrid (£292m) in 2019.

Manchester United broke their own spending record to sit second on the Premier League list.

They brought in the likes of Casermiro, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez over the summer, with their deadline-day capture of Antony taking their total spending up to about £214m – the fourth-highest summer spend by a Premier League club.

It was also a summer of strikers as a number of goalscorers made big-money moves including Erling Haaland to Manchester City, Darwin Nunez to Liverpool, Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal, Gianluca Scamacca to West Ham and Alexander Isak to Newcastle – the latter two being club-record deals.

• Buying a new squad

Nottingham Forest are back in the Premier League for the first time since 1999, and judging by their summer shopping they are determined to stay there.

Steve Cooper’s side have embarked on an extraordinary spending spree, signing an incredible 21 new players for £145m – breaking the British record for most recruits in a single season.

According to Transfermarkt, the previous English record was the 17 players Crystal Palace signed in the summer of 2013. The British record was previously held by Livingston and Dundee United, who signed 19 players apiece in 2001 and 2000 respectively.

It could have been 22 new faces for Forest, too, but a late move to sign Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi from Chelsea fell through.

• The pressure that money can bring

With such lavish sums being spent across the division, the pressure has been cranked up on those clubs who may not be willing or able to pay such exorbitant fees.

Scott Parker lamented that his Bournemouth side were “ill-equipped” for the Premier League after their 9-0 thrashing by Liverpool last weekend.

Owner Maxim Demin responded by sacking him two days later, saying: “We must also show belief in and respect for one another.”

Leicester have also had a quiet window, bringing in just two players and letting a number of established stars leave – including goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and key defender Fofana, who made it clear he wanted to leave the club for several weeks before eventually completing his move to Stamford Bridge.

The Foxes have also started badly on the pitch and were booed by their own fans after Thursday’s 1-0 home defeat by Manchester United left them bottom of the table.

Like Parker, Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers publicly expressed frustration at his club’s lack of transfer activity, though perhaps not in quite as explicit terms as the former Cherries boss.

“I understand the fans’ frustration. They see all their rivals getting players in and we’re not getting any,” he said after the defeat by United.

“To watch clubs in the top five leagues add players and we haven’t been able to do that has been difficult. We needed help and we haven’t been able to do that.

“With the greatest respect, we have not had the help in the market this team needed.”

• The ones that got away

Though Premier League spending reached record levels, there were still a number of deals that did not materialise.

Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to leave Manchester United this summer just 12 months after returning to the club from Juventus but the Portugal forward remains at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils also agreed a £63.5m deal with Barcelona for Frenkie de Jong but a dispute between the Spanish club and Netherlands midfielder eventually scuppered the move after a pursuit that lasted much of the window.

Everton winger Anthony Gordon was subject of a £45m bid from Chelsea but the Toffees did not want to sell the England Under-21 international and eventually managed to keep him.

Arsenal made a late move to sign Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz but saw two bids, the latter worth £23m, turned down by the Midlands club.

But perhaps the most unusual non-transfer story of deadline day was Bamba Dieng.

Leeds were so confident of landing the Marseille forward chairman Andrea Radrizzani tweeted that the club were set to “welcome” him to Elland Road.

But with the 22-year-old at the airport poised to head to the UK from France, Marseille’s Ligue 1 rivals Nice moved in to hijack the deal.

Yet, there’s more.

With a 9m euro move seemingly imminent, Dieng suffered a minor problem with the medical and the deal was off.

As Radrizzani later tweeted: “Part of the madness of deadline day.”