European football's summer transfer window passed €9.8 billion in committed fees on Tuesday, exceeding last year's full-window record with three weeks of trading still to run.
English clubs account for just under 40 percent of the total, with newly promoted sides spending at levels that would have led the league five years ago. Saudi Pro League clubs added €1.4 billion, concentrated on players in their mid-twenties rather than the veteran signings of earlier windows.
Agents expect the final weeks to be defined by the domino effect of two unresolved striker sagas, with selling clubs holding out for fees that would each break the world record.