Top 5 Premier League Clubs by Transfer Spending So Far This Summer

The fact that the European transfer window doesn’t officially open until July, 1 is the kind of formality that only provides an obstacle to the greenest of sides, it seems.

Two weeks in advance of the date and already the Premier League spend-o-meter has almost reached the £100 million mark, with a raft of England’s elite dipping into their pockets at these early, early stages.

Looking at the transfers that are already completed or close enough to deem a club’s money as being “spent” in that particular case, here we consider just who the biggest splashers of cash are in England’s top flight so far.

Only face-value transfer fees are considered, with wages bearing no relevance.

An asterisk(*) denotes an approximate fee for the player mentioned.

5. Southampton

Transfers In: Dejan Lovren (Lyon, £6.8 million)

Net Spend: £6,800,000

Up until several days ago, Southampton had failed to make the slightest move towards the reckoning for a ranking of this sort, but in one fell swoop have bested a majority of their English rivals in terms of amount spent.

As the Guardian reports, the Croatian international centre-back signs from Lyon on a four-year contract.

Upon signing for the Saints, Lovren stated:

"

I've spoken a lot with the chairman and the coach and this is a great project. They told me a lot of positive things and I know the history of the club. It's a big club and I'm very happy that I can be a part of it.

"

At just 23 years of age, Lovren is a defender with Champions League experience, great sell-on value and the potential to help drive his new side towards a top-half finish and perhaps even greater feats.

4. Norwich City

Transfers In: Ricky van Wolswinkel (Sporting Lisbon, £8.5 million), Javier Garrido (Lazio, £1.3 million)

Net Spend: £9,800,000

Confirmed all the way back in March, Norwich City can still brag the fourth most expensive purchase of this summer’s Premier League transfer window: Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

After breaking the Canaries’ transfer record, the Dutchman was recently quoted by the Daily Mail as saying that he’ll “take the club to the next level,” continuing:

"

I will love working with the team and the coach and I see a very good future for us all - for me and for Norwich.

The Premier League is always a place I have wanted to test myself. For me Norwich is the perfect club and the perfect place to be.

"

Considering the amount his new side forked out for him, Van Wolfswinkel will certainly need to hope he can do just that.

That being said, the 24-year-old isn’t the only purchase at Carrow Road in recent weeks.

Javier Garrido, after enjoying a successful loan spell with the club last campaign, has opted to make his move back to the English top flight a permanent one.

Although the Guardian gives no specific fee for the left-back, Transfermarkt report the Spaniard’s contract in Norfolk as being worth £1.3 million, although it’s supposed a portion of that may have been paid as part of last season’s loan.

3. Aston Villa

Transfers In: Aleksandar Tonev (Lech Poznan, £2.5 million), Jores Okore (FC Nordsjaelland, £4 million), Leandro Bacuna* (FC Groningen, £850,000), Antonio Luna (Sevilla, £1.5 million),
Nicklas Helenius (£1.2million).

Net Spend: £10,050,000

With several ageing players making their way out of the club this summer, Paul Lambert has enacted the same sort of transfer policy as last summer, revitalising his side with youth rather than experience.

The signing fans may be most excited about is 20-year-old Jores Okore, who the Telegraph say comes from FC Nordsjaelland for a fee of £4 million and already impressed during his side’s Champions League clash against Chelsea last season.

The Telegraph also reported on Aleksandar Tonev’s arrival at the Birmingham outfit, valuing his purchase at £2.5 million.

A slightly more unknown name at Villa Park in time for next season is Antonio Luna, a Sevilla youngster the Daily Mail support as being on the verge of a £1.5 million switch from Spain.

However, that’s not the club’s cheapest deal this summer; that privilege belongs to Leandro Bacuna, whose former side, FC Groningen, have said on their official website (article in Dutch) left the Eredivisie for a fee of €1 million (£850,000).

2. Chelsea

Transfers In: Andre Schurrle (Bayer Leverkusen, £18.7 million)

Net Spend: £18,700,000

Confirmed as Chelsea boss a fortnight ago Jose Mourinho didn’t take too long in grabbing his first signature back at the Chelsea helm.

Andre Schurrle had long been looked at as a Chelsea summer signing, but the German looks to have sealed the deal, as the Guardian report just a medical and player terms to be agreed upon.

On the surface, Chelsea will hand Bayer Leverkusen a handsome sum of almost £19 million for their attacker’s signature, making him the second most expensive transfer of this Premier League summer.

The Blues paid slightly less for 2012 purchase, Marko Marin, who went on to feature very little for the club in an injury-hit season. As such, fans of the West London club will undoubtedly be hoping that more fruit is born of Schurrle’s transfer to the English capital.

1. Manchester City

Transfers In: Jesus Navas (Sevilla, £14.9 million), Fernandinho* (Shakhtar Donetsk, £30 million)

Net Spend: £44,900,000

Another summer not even started and yet Manchester City again find themselves as the Premier League’s biggest spenders so far.

The first of City’s confirmed signings was Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder, Fernandinho, a player linked vigorously with the Citizens in the past.

Sky Sports report the transfer as being worth in the region of £30 million, a sum which is so far and could very well finish as the division’s largest expenditure of the summer.

Only a few days later, BBC Sport had revealed that Jesus Navas would finally, after several years of speculation, complete a move to the Premier League.

Valued at £14.9 million potentially rising to £15.9 million, the Spaniard would certainly seem to represent the more valuable of City’s deals this summer, although time will tell.