Top-flight clubs set to smash £100m barrier
Premier League clubs have spent around £95 million in the January transfer window heading into the final few hours.
Figures released by Deloitte show that teams in the English top flight have parted with roughly £10m less compared to the start of the last day of the 2013 January window.
Juan Mata's £37.1m move from Chelsea to Manchester United is the standout piece of business in the window so far, with a raft of last-minute deals set to go through and push spending past the £100m mark.
"As we enter the final day of this year’s transfer window, Premier League clubs' gross spending currently stands at £95m," said Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte.
"This is a broadly similar picture to last year, where gross spending at this point totalled £85m.
"We expect deadline day to again be a busy time for Premier League clubs. However, regardless of the amount of activity, we have already seen the 2013/14 season set a record for Premier League transfer spending.
"This season the combined transfer spend of Premier League clubs has passed the £700m mark for the first time, with spending currently at c.£725m.
"It is important to put this in context; the transfer spending is supported by the record level of revenues of Premier League clubs, driven primarily by new broadcast agreements.
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"This gives Premier League clubs the ability to continue to invest significantly in their playing talent."