Chelsea’s squad at the end of the 2024 financial year was the most expensive ever assembled in European football in terms of transfer fees, according to UEFA’s latest “European Club Finance and Investment Landscape” report.
The report states that Chelsea’s squad cost €1.656 billion ($1.79 billion) in combined transfer fees, surpassing Manchester United’s €1.42 billion squad in 2023 and Real Madrid’s €1.33 billion squad in 2020.
Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over the club in 2022, Chelsea have signed 41 players. However, their massive spending has not yet translated into significant success on the pitch. They finished sixth in the Premier League last season and currently sit fifth in the table.
The report also highlights the highest revenue-generating clubs in 2023, with Real Madrid (€1.073 billion) leading the way, followed by Manchester City (€854 million), Paris Saint-Germain (€808 million), Manchester United (€771 million), and Bayern Munich (€765 million).
The Premier League remains the most financially dominant league, with nine teams among the top 20 highest-earning clubs. The league generated €7.15 billion in revenue, more than double the revenue of La Liga (€3.7 billion) and significantly ahead of the Bundesliga (€3.6 billion), Serie A (€2.9 billion), and Ligue 1 (€2.4 billion).
The report also highlights the Premier League’s TV revenue dominance, stating that a “typical” mid-table English club earns 60% more than its German counterpart and three times more than clubs in Italy and Spain.
In terms of matchday revenue, Arsenal (€153 million), Manchester United (€129 million), Tottenham (€123 million), and Liverpool (€108 million) were among the eight European clubs that generated over €100 million in gate receipts in 2023.
With Europe’s top-division clubs generating a combined €26.8 billion in revenue in 2023, English clubs continue to lead the financial landscape, reporting nearly double the revenue of Spain and Germany.
