PARIS: Liverpool’s record sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona and acquisition of Virgil Van Dijk from Southampton pushed January transfer window spending to new heights, a FIFA report published on Friday revealed.

La Liga giants Barca led the way with the 160 million euros ($192 million) signature of Brazilian attacking midfielder Coutinho as Spanish clubs spent more money than in the previous seven January windows put together — their $361.3 million represented a massive 560.4 percent increase on 2017.

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