Man Utd top Europe for net spending over last 10 years

Manchester United have spent more on transfers than any other club in Europe’s top five leagues over the past decade.

United have recorded an eye-watering £903m net spend during the past 10 seasons – spending £1.3 billion and recouping £395m from player sales, according to a new study published by the Football Observatory.

In terms of net expenditure, United have outspent fellow powerhouse clubs Manchester City (£826.6m), Paris Saint-Germain (£790.4m) and Barcelona (£546m) – all of whom have won five or more league titles during that period, compared with United’s sole title in 2012/13.

Interestingly, Arsenal rank fifth on the list, ahead of European giants Juventus (£471.2m) and AC Milan (£362.9m), while Premier League trio Everton (£360.4m), Aston Villa (£356.2m) and Chelsea (£346.9m) complete the top 10.

West Ham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Leicester, Brighton and Wolves also make the top 20 – reflecting the stark disparity in spending between English sides and their European counterparts.

At the other end of the scale, Ligue 1 sides Lille (-£293.2m) and Lyon (-£207.5m) registered chart-topping surpluses over the decade – with the former pipping PSG to the domestic title last term.

In fact, 46 of the 98 clubs returned accounts in the black, with Genoa, Udinese, Atalanta, Montpellierand Athletic Bilbao among the most profitable.