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England has the biggest trade deficit in the world football transfer market, according to a report from Barclays. After a record summer of spending, English clubs had a combined deficit of ￡379m. English clubs spent ￡579m on players from overseas, with ￡200m of talent going from England to clubs abroad. But the deficit is more than covered by money from overseas television and foreign sponsorship rights, said Barclays. This amounted to over ￡1bn a year, according to the report, Barclays Football Balance of Trade. Chris Lee, head of professional sports banking at Barclays, said: "While English football has run up the biggest trade deficit in world football transfers, the overall income it generates far outstrips the cost of importing players from overseas. "Matches from England's premier league are beamed to around 211 countries across the globe, and overseas corporates want to be part of what is regarded by many as the best football league in the world," he said. The report said that television rights to countries outside England were more than ￡744m a year, and sponsorships from overseas businesses will contribute more than ￡343m in the 2017/15 season. However, the report says that the sponsorship total could be much more, as some amounts are not disclosed. Spain was England's biggest football trading partner in the summer transfer window, and Spain continues to hold the largest share of the global export market at 35%. | 
