Manchester City become first club in history to assemble €1 billion squad

Premier League champions top the list of most expensive squads in the world, according to a study in Switzerland

Premier League champions Manchester City are the first club to have spent more than €1 billion ($1.1 billion) to assemble their squad, a study has shown.

Data from the Swiss-based CIES Football Observatory showed that City have spent €1.014 billion on their current squad, while French champions Paris Saint-Germain were second, having spent €913 million.

Spain’s Real Madrid were in third place with €902 million.

City’s Premier League triumph last season was their second in succession, while PSG’s Ligue 1 title was their sixth in seven years.

Meanwhile, Real have won the Champions League four times in the last six seasons, taking their overall tally to a record 13.

City’s rivals Manchester United have the second-most expensive squad in the Premier League at €751 million, followed by Champions League winners Liverpool (€639 million).

The Premier League average was €345 million, according to the study, which looked at teams from the top flights in England, Germany, Italy, France and Spain.

At the other end of the scale, Bundesliga club Paderborn had the cheapest squad at €4 million.