**Premier League "tax" now around £20m, and Europe's clubs are nervous**
According to BBC News, the old idea that English players attract a premium has evolved — now it's simply being *in* the Premier League that inflates a player's price tag, regardless of nationality.
The report suggests clubs across Europe are increasingly wary of negotiating with Premier League sides, having identified a rough £20m "markup" applied to players already plying their trade in England's top flight compared to their perceived market value elsewhere.
This premium, BBC News notes, reflects the financial muscle of the Premier League and the knowledge that English clubs can outspend continental rivals, effectively forcing suitors to pay over the odds simply to prise a player away from the league.
While no specific transfer deal is detailed, the piece frames this as a growing structural issue in the market — one that could make Premier League players harder to sign for European clubs operating with tighter budgets, further widening the financial gap between England's top division and the rest of the continent.