French clubs smash transfer spending records

PARIS: Clubs in the top two divisions in France spent a record

€697mil (RM3.5bil) in the close season, the French League (LFP) announced.

The total expenditure was more than four times the amount spent by French professional teams 12 months ago, led by Neymar’s (pic) world-record breaking move from Barcelona to Paris St Germain for

€222mil (RM1.1bil).

The sum is in reality even more, as it does not include the deal for PSG to buy Kylian Mbappe from Ligue 1 champions Monaco, as the capital-city club signed the 18-yearold on an initial season-long loan with an option to buy for a potential

€180mil (RM911mil), in an apparent attempt to avoid UEFA Financial Fair-Play sanctions.

“The total amount of purchases were four times the amount of 2016, reaching a total of €697mil of investment,” the LFP said in a statement.

“In the opposite direction, the total amount of sales doubled to

€619mil (RM3.1bil) .

“These figures do not include options to buy for players on loan, including Kylian Mbappe.”

PSG’s stunning forays into the transfer market boosted the figures significantly, although Monaco also spent some of the money they received for the likes of Bernardo Silva, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Benjamin Mendy.

Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim splashed out more than €70mil (RM354mil) the likes of Youri Tielemans, Keita Balde and Stevan Jovetic.

Despite the record figures, the total spend of the top two tiers in France pales in comparison to the TV-rights rich English Premier League, as its 20 clubs shelled out US$1.4bil (RM7.6bil) during the transfer window. — AFP