Half of the top 10 most expensive signings in the 2010-11 season, including both the summer and winter transfer windows, were made in January, with Barclays Premier League clubs accounting for eight of the top 10 most expensive signings.
The report's figures reveal that Europe's top five leagues - in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France - spent a combined total of Eur491 million in the winter window, a huge 439% rise on the Eur112 million spent in January 2010.
However, spending in the summer window has reduced year-on-year from Eur1.855 billion in 2009 to Eur1.322 billion in 2010.
As was the case in January 2010, clubs took advantage of the winter transfer window to reduce the number of players in their squads, with Serie A clubs in Italy leading the way by selling or loaning out 75 players, followed by 34 in the Premier League and 12 in the German Bundesliga.
