Russian football top-league’s clubs spent over $209 mln on transfer activities in 2017

Football clubs of the Russian Premier League (RPL) have chalked up a total sum of 184.2 million euros ($209.4 million) in transfer activities in 2017, according to a report on the Russian football economy’s overall study.

"Football clubs of the Russian Premier League spent on the transfer activities in 2017 a total of 184.2 million euros, which is by 44.6 million euros ($50.1 million) more than in 2016 and also exceeds by 139 million euros (some $158 million) the sum registered in 2015," the report reads.

"The record figure for transfer activities within a five-year period was registered in 2013, when RPL clubs spent a total of 434.6 million euros [$494.2 million according to present-day exchange rate]," the document states.

"It should be mentioned that there is no direct correlation with the clubs’ financial performance, considering the exchange rate volatility and the accounting specifics of transfer revenues and expenses in the clubs’ financial statements," the report said.

The report also stated that an aggregate sum of RPL football clubs’ revenue in 2017 amounted to 56.8 billion rubles ($846.1 million).

The report on the aggregate financial statements of RPL football clubs over the last year include spending in the 2017/2018 season and, according to the document, the presented sum of 56.8 billion rubles is by 6.5 billion rubles ($96.5 million) less compared with the year of 2016.