Premier League clubs set a new record during the transfer window, with total spending for the year so far breaking the £1 billion (Dh5.6bn) barrier for the first time.

Transfer spending during the summer window totalled £870m/€1.18bn (Dh4.9bn) – £35m (Dh196m) more than the £835m (Dh4.7bn) spent last summer, according to analysis by the business advisory firm Deloitte.

Just over £130m (Dh730m) was spent in the January transfer window. Manchester City set an individual record, with £160m (Dh900m) splashed out on new talent this summer.

Fuelled by its huge television deals, the Premier League clubs’ spending has easily outstripped the rest of Europe. Alex Thorpe, senior manager in the sports business group at Deloitte, said: “This summer has seen another record level of transfer spending, as Premier League clubs continue to use increases in their revenue to invest in playing talent.

“Gross spending of £870million by clubs across the league has broken the record of £835million set last summer. Total spending in 2015, across both the January and summer windows, is also a new record, reaching the £1billion mark for the first time.

“With all 20 of the Premier League clubs now ranked in the top 40 globally by revenue, we have seen clubs across the league compete successfully in the market for international talent.

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“Premier League clubs’ gross spending on players from overseas clubs this summer totalled more than half a billion pounds. Looking across Europe, Premier League clubs’ gross and net spending this summer is more than double that of any other European league. The driving force behind this is the growth and distribution mechanism of the league’s broadcast rights.”

Earlier this year we reported the remarkable rebalancing of revenues and costs, such that Premier League clubs collectively generated pre-tax profitability for the first time since 1999, with clubs set to enjoy a further revenue boost when the next broadcast deals start in 2016.

Therefore, despite a new record level of player transfer spending this year, collectively Premier League clubs have a chance to invest in playing talent whilst remaining profitable in a way that was previously not the case.”

Of the 12 most costly transfers of the summer window, all but four involved Premier League clubs.

Man City were responsible for three of the top six deals: Kevin De Bruyne from Wolfsburg, Raheem Sterling from Liverpool and Nicolas Otamendi’s from Valencia.

But while the Premier League dwarfed the remaining four biggest leagues in Europe in terms of expenditure, spending was actually up in Serie A (€348m to ¤576m), the Bundesliga (€297m to €410m) and Ligue 1 (€138m to €307m), with only La Liga – mainly due to a relative lack of activity from Real Madrid and Barcelona – down.

However, had David De Gea’s £29m (Dh163m) deal from Manchester United to Madrid gone through then Spain’s top flight would also have witnessed an increase on 2014 figures.

Such is the Premier League’s spending power that France Football’s front cover yesterday was entitled, “Transferts: Le Big Bang” and documented the growth of the English top flight’s dominance in the transfer market. It’s also a trend that’s set to continue, and more than likely at a greater rate with the league’s new television deals kicking in at the end of this season.

Under the agreement with Sky and BT Sport from 2016-2019, Premier League clubs will share £5.14bn (Dh28.9bn) and that’s not including the foreign rights which are up for tender next year, netting a potential further £3bn (Dh16.8bn).