Record spending by Premier League clubs has provided a crucial source of income for French teams, which are increasingly being forced to sell their leading young players to remain financially stable.
English clubs spent about 800m euros (£687m) on players from Ligue 1 during the summer transfer window. That represented roughly one-fifth of the Premier League’s total expenditure of 4.1bn euros (£3.5bn).
More than 20 players moved from France to England, according to figures compiled by Transfermarkt, including five transfers worth more than 50m euros. The two most prominent deals saw Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi move from Lille to Manchester City for 100m euros (£85.6m), while France winger Bradley Barcola joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain for a total of 145m euros (£124m).
There was also a steady stream of less-publicised transfers, underlining how Ligue 1 continues to develop talented players before selling them to wealthier clubs abroad.
Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain, ranked the fourth-richest club in the world in this year’s Deloitte Football Money League, remain the notable exception to the trend.
PSG coach Luis Enrique said Barcola had left because “he wanted to have more importance in the team, and that is something you have to earn in training. I can't guarantee that to any player”.
For most other French clubs, however, major sales have become essential to balancing their finances.
Mali midfielder Mamadou Sangare moved from Lens to Brentford for 48m euros (£42.9m), just below the 50m-euro threshold. Jeremy Jacquet’s transfer from Rennes to Liverpool was agreed in January before being completed in July, while Belgium forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo joined Newcastle United from Lille.
Senegal winger Ibrahim Mbaye left PSG for Aston Villa. The age of many of the players involved was particularly striking: Mbaye and Bouaddi are both 18, Jacquet and Fernandez-Pardo are 21, while Barcola is a comparatively experienced 24-year-old.
French clubs have long been willing to give opportunities to young players. Bouaddi was named player of the match for Lille in a Champions League victory over Real Madrid on his 17th birthday.
Players have been leaving France for more glamorous neighbouring leagues for decades. But whereas Lyon were once able to retain Karim Benzema until he had made almost 150 appearances before selling him to Real Madrid, clubs now often have to cash in much earlier. Jacquet had made only 33 appearances for Rennes before departing.
The pressure is being driven not only by the attraction of the Premier League but also by the worsening financial position of French football.
Ligue 1 is home to back-to-back Champions League winners PSG. By selling Barcola, the club recouped the money it had already invested in three new forwards, including Spain World Cup-winner Ferran Torres.
Across the rest of the division, revenues have fallen sharply following the collapse of Ligue 1’s domestic television deal. With broadcasters unwilling to pay enough for the rights, the league launched its own streaming service last year.
Reports suggest the total television revenue distributed among all 18 Ligue 1 clubs last season was about 200m euros (£172m). That was approximately the same amount as Arsenal, last season’s Premier League champions, received on their own, according to The Athletic.
“We are waiting for there to be more money flowing down to the clubs,” said Lille president Olivier Letang. “At the moment there is very little and I, like my colleagues, am very worried about that.”
Several of France’s traditional powers were left trying to manage the consequences. Lyon sold Malick Fofana to Sunderland after failing to qualify for the Champions League.
Marseille made no new signings because of their financial position, while Monaco were frustrated when an anticipated major transfer to England fell through.
Monaco abandoned plans to sell Senegal midfielder Lamine Camara to Chelsea when it appeared Folarin Balogun was about to join Everton for £40m. The United States striker subsequently changed his mind.
“We needed to reduce our wage bill by around 20 per cent, so we still need to find solutions,” said Monaco managing director Thiago Scuro.
For French football, keeping the books balanced has become more important than ever, with Premier League spending offering both a valuable lifeline and a stark reminder of the financial gap between the two leagues.