For the first time in Premier League history, a single transfer window has produced three £100m-plus signings — and there are still weeks to go before deadline day on 1 September.
This summer alone, Chelsea agreed a club record £117m deal for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest £116m for Elliot Anderson, and Tottenham spent a club record £100m on Sandro Tonali. Tottenham also agreed an £85m move for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes, Barcelona paid £69m to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United, and Manchester United spent £50m on Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos. During the 2025 summer window, English top-flight clubs spent a record £3bn.
“Three £100m Premier League transfers this summer as fees soar; Carrick wants another midfielder.”
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire says one record fee quickly influences the next. “It sets a benchmark,” he said. “Forest wanted to be close to the record level because they felt Elliot Anderson was a critical player, a player very much in demand. We’ve then seen that surpassed by the Morgan Rogers fee — only slightly — but it allows the club to say, ‘This is the record English signing’. So there’s an element of bragging rights involved.”
After City’s £116m move for Anderson established a new market rate, Villa made it clear any club wanting Rogers would need to exceed that figure. Chelsea did exactly that, agreeing a guaranteed £117m fee. Arsenal, who had identified Rogers as one of their leading targets, explored a deal but refused to meet Villa’s asking price.
Part of the answer lies in supply and demand. Premier League clubs must register at least eight homegrown players in their 25-man squads, while clubs competing in Uefa competitions must also satisfy homegrown quotas, creating fierce competition for a relatively small pool of talent.
Meanwhile, Manchester United boss Michael Carrick remains determined to sign another midfielder this summer. The Red Devils have already added Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos for a combined £85m from Aston Villa and Chelsea respectively. But Carrick is not satisfied yet, intent on signing a third midfielder following the departure of Casemiro. United had agreed a deal for Atalanta’s Ederson, only to pull the plug. Away from midfield, United are also keen on a left-back, with Newcastle’s Lewis Hall and Fulham’s Antonee Robinson among those identified. However, having lost Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon this summer, Newcastle will not be keen on selling Hall, who remains under contract until 2029.
Speaking after United’s opening pre-season defeat against Wrexham, Carrick praised one of his summer arrivals: “There’s loads of little positives to take from the game. I thought Andrey and Mason [Mount] did some really good things and connected really well. … There were good signs from Andrey on his first one.” The manager added: “The boys have only been back together for 10 days or so. … The most important thing is that everyone came through it in good shape. No injuries, so we can move on and take the next step next week.”
With the market still open and benchmarks rising, the question is which club will be next to break the £100m barrier — and whether Carrick gets his third midfielder before the window shuts.