PARIS, Feb 9 — Transfer spending in men’s football went up by 74.7 per cent in the January window compared to last year as clubs signed more players in a sign of a recovery following two pandemic-hit years, world governing body Fifa said on Tuesday.

Clubs spent US$1.03 billion (RM4.3 billion) on players last month, just shy of the US$1.16 billion recorded in January 2020.

A total of 3,791 international transfers were completed across men’s and women’s football -- a rise of 28 per cent compared to 2021 among male players, and a new all-time high of 42.8 per cent increase in the women’s game.

"For the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic, transfer fees and the number of transfers experienced significant growth,” a study from FIFA said.

English clubs topped spending with an outlay of US$349.5 million, followed by Italy with US$113.6 million and Spain with US$111.1 million. England was also the top gainer in terms of transfer receipts, earning US$108.6 million.

Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic’s move from Italian Serie A club Fiorentina to rivals Juventus was reported to be the most expensive in the window, with the deal worth up to €80 million (US$91.34 million).

Ferran Torres swapping Manchester City for Barcelona and Luis Diaz moving to Liverpool from Porto were second and third on the list, with the reported fees of €55 million and €45 million, respectively. — Reuters