Premier League clubs have spent £3.1BILLION building their squads for the start of the new season – now it’s time to put them to the test
The astonishing money splashed out by top flight clubs signing players
PREMIER LEAGUE clubs begin their season this weekend boasting combined squads assembled for a whopping £3.1BILLION.
The domestic game has gone cash crazy this summer as teams flaunt the wealth generated from the new round of television deals.
And new Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has also gone big in the transfer market as he looks to assemble a squad capable of winning the title.
Both United and City now have squads purchased for more than £500m as the domestic game moves into a new era of mind-boggling spending.
SunSport has looked at the transfer fees clubs have paid for all their players and the results are amazing.
Having forked out £165.5m this summer alone, City now have the most expensive squad in the Premier League - costing £548.65m to put together.
And Manchester vials United can no longer accuse other teams of buying success, for they have splashed out £526m on their own unit.
They leave Chelsea trailing in their wake as the third most expensive squad - though at a whisker under £400m the investment of Roman Abramovich is not to be sniffed at.
But it is not just the big clubs who are opening the cheque book. Not long ago Bournemouth were facing an uncertain financial future, now they can fork out £15m on Jordan Ibe.
Crystal Palace made a £30m bid for Michy Batshuayi, and they could pay a similar amount for Christian Benteke if Liverpool agree to do business.
The average transfer fee for a players is now in excess of £10m, with run of the mill Premier League player now on around £30,000-a-week.
And there are still more than two weeks to go in the transfer window, with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham all looking to go back in for new players.
The expectation is that the Premier League clubs will break through the £1billion barrier in this transfer window alone for the first time.
It is a huge display of wealth that will have the rest of the top European league's looking on with envy as the English game flexes its financial muscle
Welcome to the Premier League. The most expensive show on earth.
Premier League Squad Prices 2016-2017
20th
Burnley: £23.1m
Burnley faced the drop on their return the Premier League two seasons ago, and Sean Dyche may face the same problem having once again not spent on their return to the top flight.
19th:
Middlesbrough: £27.8m
With Boro's promotion they have had a smart summer bringing in the likes of Victor Valdes without spending a large amount of money. With the second cheapest squad in the League they will be hoping to avoid the drop.
18th:
Hull: £32.9m
Hull have returned to the Premier League in turmoil, with manager Steve Bruce leaving due to a lack of Signings. That combined with one of the cheapest squads in the league means the could struggle this season.
17th:
Swansea: £40m
Broke their club record to sign forward Borja Baston, and are likely be active bringing more players before the window slams shut.
16th:
Watford: £41.5m
Have a huge turnover of players, but rarely spend big on signings. One of the bargain basement squads of the top division.
15th:
Crystal palace: £49.8m
Alan Pardew started spending the millions on offer to him on James Tomkins and Andros Townsend, and they intend forking out a further £30m on Christian Benteke.
14th:
West Brom: £50.1m
A club takeover has halted summer spending from Tony Pulis but they will be busy over the coming fortnight. Expect around £20m more to be spent.
13th
Bournemouth: £58.3m
Keeping their place in the premier league has enabled them to shatter their record Transfer fee with the £15m purchase of Liverpool youngster Jordan Ibe.
12th:
Sunderland: £63.25m
David Moyes has only just started strengthening the squad he inherited and he wants to spend more before the end of August. Chairman Ellis Short is ready to back his man with cash.
11th
Leicester: £73.7m
Fresh from winning the title, Claudio Ranieri has spent £40m adding to his squad and there may be more to come from the Foxes.
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10th:
Stoke: £89.7m
Mark Hughes has quietly assembled a squad packed with talented players, but he still wants a striker so another £20m could be paid out yet.
9th:
Everton: £109.7m
Ronald Koeman has finally started to make his moves, with an extra £47m in his pocket from selling John Stones.
Lamine Kone is likely to come in for £18m soon and the spending is unlikely to stop there this summer.
8th:
Southampton: £113.2m
Known has a selling club having cashed in on star names, but Saints have not been shy to splash out big money themselves.
7th:
West Ham: £117.8m
Didn't sign the marquee player they wanted, but anyone who claims the Hammers are the poor relation of London football is bonkers. Never frightened to spend money.
6th:
Spurs: £177.9m
Signed Vincent Janssen and Victory Wanyama early, but now chairman Daniel Levy is resorting to type by not spending before a mad dash just before the window closes.
5th:
Arsenal: £268.6m
Not bad for a manager who never spends any money! Defensive injury problems and the need for a forward could see them burst through £300m this month.
4th:
Liverpool: £345.8m
No-one can say the American owners haven't backed their managers. Jurgen Klopp says he is happy with his squad but don't be surprised to see one more deal pushed through this summer.
Chelsea: £397.4 million
Antonio Conte may be shocked at the high transfer fees, but that won't put him off spending the cash. Only signed two so far, but is aiming to bring in a forward and defender this month.
2nd
Manchester United: £526m
Spent fortunes over the past two seasons, and Jose Mourinho may not be finished yet. Have the financial clout to go big.
1st:
Manchester City: £548.65m
A huge summer of investment to add to an already expensive squad. The undisputed kings of the spending game.
