Making wise decisions when it comes to hiring players from other teams has turned into an art some clubs have failed to master, but some of those really need to get a grip on things before they damage their finances permanently.
According to a report by the CIES Football Observatory, most top-level teams in Europe do not have a healthy financial book, and two Premier League teams are right at the top of that unflattering list: Manchester City and Manchester United.
The report revealed that, since 2016, these teams have a negative transfer balance that surpasses the €500M barrier. The Citizens have spent a bit over €1B in that department, but their transfer income is quite shorter than that. Up until the latest transfer window, Manchester City had only earned €375M for transfers away from the club, leaving Guardiola's team with a negative balance of €631M (around $764M).
Manchester United fans who were getting ready to troll City supporters for their poor spending habits should really think about that twice, since the Red Devils have spent over €832M in transfers, while they have only seen €246M of those in return. With that in mind, Manchester United's negative balance has reached €586M (around $709M).
The third spot in this ranking belongs to Barcelona, who have spent quite a bit of cash in their attempt to end their drought in the UEFA Champions League. Their need to win the coveted international award has seen them spend more money than any other club in this ranking (€1,171M), but unlike both English clubs, they have managed to sell players for over €700M. Those numbers translate in a negative balance of €471M (over $570M).
The two teams that complete the top five are PSG, which comes as no surprise due to their hiring of Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, among other stars, and Inter, who have failed to win either domestic or international competitions in the past five years.
