By Can Erozden
ANKARA (AA) – In the 12 months up to this February, English Premier League clubs shelled out over a half billion dollars – £409.5 million ($509.8 million) – on football agents and intermediaries, the English Football Association confirmed.
In a report, the FA said on Thursday that Chelsea led spending on agents' fees as the Blues paid a cool £75.1 million ($93.4 million).
Last August, Chelsea signed Brighton's Ecuadoran midfielder Moises Caicedo for a British-record fee of £115 million on an eight-year contract, Sky Sports reported. The fee could raise Chelsea's payments for agents in this period.
The 2023 English champions, Manchester City, were said to have spent £60.6 million to claim second place on the list.
Man City's archrivals Manchester United were the third-highest spenders with £34 million.
Liverpool (£31.5 million) and Arsenal (£24.7 million) followed close behind.
Aston Villa (£21.1 million) was the other English club to have crossed the £20 million threshold.
London's Tottenham Hotspur, one of the most important English clubs, spent £19.7 million on agents.
Luton Town, who were promoted to the top-tier English football division last May, held on tight to its purse strings, spending the least among the Premier League clubs, with a mere £2 million.