Premier League clubs have spent more than £1.4bn on new players so far this summer, outstripping the combined outlay of the Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A. The gap matters because it underlines the growing financial gulf between English football and the rest of Europe, a trend that shows no sign of reversing and could widen further as the transfer window continues.

The gross figures understate the true divide once player sales are factored in: Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga are actually in credit on transfer dealings, while the Premier League's net spend stands at £523.6m, far ahead of La Liga and Serie A. Clubs such as Aston Villa, Brighton and Tottenham have already exceeded their entire spend from last summer, with Spurs' £149.7m net outlay the highest in Europe's top five leagues, while Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Manchester City and Newcastle have also spent more than at this point last year. Fewer deals have completed so far (25, against 47 by the same date last year), partly due to the expanded World Cup, suggesting a backlog of spending is still to come, while promoted clubs Sunderland, Burnley and Leeds have lagged behind their predecessors' recruitment drives.