United splash out £10m on agents’ fees in four months

MANCHESTER UNITED paid more than £10million to agents and intermediaries during the first half of the season as Barclays Premier League clubs handed £46.8m to middlemen.

United spent £10,023,318 on agents’ fees — considerably more than secondplaced Liverpool’s £6,672,713 — including the sale of Angel di Maria to Paris Saint-Germain, the purchase of Memphis Depay from PSV Eindhoven and David de Gea’s new contract.

The figures, which cover every transfer deal and contract negotiation by Premier League, Football League and National League clubs between October 1, 2015 and February 1, 2016, including delayed payments from the summer transfer window, were published by the FA yesterday.

They were released in accordance with new FIFA transparency regulations into the dealings of agents.

Liverpool’s figures included the signings of Christian Benteke from Aston Villa, Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim and Nathaniel Clyne from Southampton.

The 20 Premier League clubs paid a total of £46,852,845.

In the Sky Bet Championship, Queens Park Rangers were the only team to spend in excess of £1m on agents’ fees during this period. In all, the 24 second-tier clubs racked up £6,985,109 paying intermediaries.

In League One, £658,791 was paid and in League Two, £163,334.

Bury, Peterborough United, Rochdale, Swindon Town, Accrington Stanley, AFC Wimbledon, Cambridge United, Hartlepool United, Mansfield Town and Morecambe did not pay any money to agents.