With the first major football league underway (the Premier League kicked off on Friday), and the first continental ‘transfer window’ closed (UK), these are the most expensive transfers to date.
Eden Hazard – Chelsea to Real Madrid – €138 million
It was the news Chelsea fans were fearing, but Eden Hazard finally completed his long-discussed transfer to Real Madrid in early July, moving to the club he dreamed of playing for as a boy for a huge €138 transfer fee, once all bonuses are taken into account.
Joao Felix – Benfica to Atletico Madrid – €120 million
Atletico Madrid won the race for the signature of Joao Felix from Benfica – but they had to pay an eye-watering €120m to land the 19-year-old and now all eyes will be on the forward to see whether he can back-up his breakthrough season.
Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid to Barcelona – €115 million
Antoine Griezmann made a documentary last summer to say he was turning down Barcelona to stay with Atletico Madrid – but he’s made the move this time around. he €115m buyout fee has caused controversy, with Atletico claiming they were entitled to more.
Harry Maguire – Leicester to Manchester United – €85 million
Manchester United have been in need of central defensive reinforcements for some time but this summer they splashed the cash to try to solve the problem, making Harry Maguire the world’s most expensive defender in the process.
Romelu Lukaku – Manchester United to Inter Milan – €77 million
Lukaku’s United exit had been on the cards for much of pre-season, with the Belgian not involved in any United fixtures despite touring with the club to Australia and the Far East. When a swap deal with Juventus’ Paulo Dybala fell through, Inter stepped up their interest to sign the frontman.
Nicolas Pepe – Lille to Arsenal – €76 million
There had been speculation Arsenal were restricted to just a £45m transfer budget this summer but that assumption was blown away by their £72m purchase of Lille attacker Nicolas Pepe at the start of August. The forward enjoyed a standout season in Ligue 1 last term, scoring 23 goals and recording 12 assists in 41 games, and looks set to combine with Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in a thrilling frontline.
Matthijs de Ligt – Ajax to Juventus – €72 million
Juventus spent big to bring Matthijs de Ligt to Italy this summer after the 19-year-old led his boyhood club to a league and cup double and starred during Ajax’s run to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
De Ligt, the youngest captain in Ajax’s history, was linked with Manchester United and Barcelona but it was Juventus who beat off the competition to complete a deal.
Lucas Hernandez – Atletico Madrid to Bayern Munich- €72 million
Bayern Munich broke their club transfer record to bring French World Cup winner Lucas Hernandez to the club from Atletico Madrid, backing the 23-year-old to keep on improving during his time in the Bundesliga.
Interestingly, Hernandez’s medical with Bayern revealed ligament damage in his knee which required an operation – but the German club completed the deal regardless and the defender is expected to be fit for the start of the season.
Frenkie de Jong – Ajax to Barcelona – €69 million
Matthijs de Ligt isn’t the only talented young player Ajax have waved goodbye to this summer, with 21-year-old talented midfielder Frenkie de Jong joining Barcelona for €69 million
Tanguy Ndombele – Lyon to Tottenham – €67 million
While Lyon had only paid €7.45m for the central midfielder 12 months earlier, Tottenham spent big to secure the services of the 22-year-old who looks set to be a key figure for Mauricio Pochettino this season.
Rate: 1 Pound sterling equals = 1.06 Euro
Via Sky News
