Man Utd top world rankings for squad cost

Manchester United have spent more money on assembling their current squad than any other football club on the planet.

A new report from the CIES Football Observatory reveals the current crop of players at Old Trafford have cost a world-topping £991.7m – edging the £977.9m spent by Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Manchester City rank third with a squad costing £898.5m, followed by Paris Saint-Germain (£862.3m), Arsenal (£720.9m), Tottenham (£714.9m), Liverpool (£664m), Real Madrid (£610.5m), Newcastle (£570m) and West Ham (£435.5m).

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The report breaks down overall expenditure by positions and reveals only PSG have spent more than Manchester United on current forwards.

The Red Devils also shelled out a table-topping £330.3m on their current defenders – despite the club’s rearguard woes – while only Liverpool have spent more on goalkeepers.

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Real Madrid splashed the most cash on their new-look midfield – having spent £115m on Jude Bellingham alone during this summer transfer window.

Football Observatory figures only include transfer fees for current squad players – factoring loan fees and potential add-ons. Some values differ from Sky Sports figures.

Newly-promoted Luton were the only Premier League club not to feature in the top 100 rankings – while Championship sides Leicester (26th, £242.3m), Southampton (34th, £196.6m), Leeds (35th, £194.9m) and Norwich (80th, £65.5m) made the list, with Italian side Parma (£89.7m) being the only other second-tier team to feature.

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Italy’s Serie A ranked second for overall representation in the rankings with 15 teams, followed by Europe’s remaining ‘big five’ leagues: La Liga in Spain (12), Ligue 1 in France and the Bundesliga in Germany (both 11).

The Saudi Pro League was represented by four teams and soared into joint-sixth spot – level with the EFL Championship – after the league’s explosive summer transfer window.

All four clubs are owned by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, who also own Newcastle – splashing a combined £685.3m on new recruits this summer, according to Transfermarkt figures.