LONDON: Premier League clubs have recorded a transfer window profit for the first time – despite spending reaching a six-year January high of £215m.

Southampton and Burnley made late deadline-day deals, while Odion Ighalo moved from Watford to China for £20m. Saints paid about £14m for Napoli’s Manolo Gabbiadini, and the Clarets brought in Robbie Brady for up to £13m.

However, top-flight sides brought in £40m more than they paid out, according to finance analysts Deloitte. Premier League teams have spent a record £1.38bn on transfers in the 2016-17 season, after a summer outlay of £1.165bn.

Spending in January 2017 is the second highest – behind the record mark of £225m six years ago – and dwarfs the £35m spent in the first January transfer window in 2003.

While the window is now closed for the major European leagues, there could still be departures as big-spending China has an official deadline of 28 February. Deadline-day sales were led by Nigeria striker Ighalo, 27, moving to Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai.

Burnley were one of the busier sides, recruiting 25-year-old Republic of Ireland international Brady from Norwich for a club-record fee having earlier snapped up another midfielder, Ashley Westwood, from Aston Villa.

Southampton bolstered their attacking options by bringing in Gabbiadini, 25, while Crystal Palace secured Liverpool centre-back Mamadou Sakho on loan and signed Serbia midfielder Luka Milivojevic from Greek side Olympiakos.

Swansea City signed Aston Villa forward Jordan Ayew in a swap deal that saw Wales defender Neil Taylor go the other way.

Several mooted moves did not go through on a relatively low-key day, with Celtic keeper Craig Gordon and striker Moussa Dembele staying with the Scottish champions despite reported interest from Chelsea

Sunderland, thwarted in their attempts to sign forward Leonardo Ulloa from Premier League champions Leicester City, had a bid of about £12m rejected by Southampton for forward Jay Rodriguez.

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