Player wages on the rise - FIFA

Zurich - Player salaries now account for more than international transfer fees, world football governing body FIFA revealed on Tuesday.

In its annual Transfer Matching System (TMS) Big 5 report covering England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, FIFA said that since 2013 players have received some 57 percent of funds.

Transfer fees accounted for 41 percent and club intermediary commissions the remaining 2 percent.

The report also revealed that 80 percent of the total amount of salaries committed in the context of international transfers since 2013 can be attributed to UEFA clubs.

English clubs spent twice as much as any other country on transfers during the summer - $996 million dollars, compared to Spain's $495m, which was 23 percent less than summer 2014.

German clubs received $300 million in transfer fees for the players they sold abroad - more than double the previous summer, with 74 percent of the money coming from England.

In comparison to last summer, spending on international transfers only increased in Italy and France.

FIFA TMS general manager Mark Goddard said: "Most of the transfers discussed in the media involve large transfer fees, but in reality, only 13 percent of all worldwide transfers involve the payment of a fee. Salaries, though, are part of every single contract."

Average salaries tend to grow with age, often peaking at 28 years of age and decreasing afterwards.

The Big 5 countries recorded a total of 1,340 incoming international transfers during this summer's transfer window - an increase of 4 percent on last year.

Transfer spending for the Big 5 reached $2.396 billion, an increase of 2 percent compared to last year's summer window.