Clubs across the globe have already been very busy in the transfer market as the new season approaches. With the Copa America and European Championship now finished, pre-season has started, and teams are recruiting new squad members in time for the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign.
The transfer window deadline closes on 30th August for the top five leagues in Europe, so they still have time to complete business. Other leagues in different parts of the world operate according to alternative calendars, notably the Saudi Pro League, which closes on 6th October.
After a cautious start, the big spenders from 2023 have begun to creep back towards the forefront of the market. Here is a closer look at the most expensive summer transfers completed across the globe so far.
Most Expensive Summer Transfers Completed So Far | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Player | Selling Club | Buying Club | Fee |
1 | Leny Yoro | Lille | Manchester United | £52.18m |
2 | Moussa Diaby | Aston Villa | Al-Ittihad | £51.6m |
3 | Joao Neves | Benfica | PSG | £51.5m |
4 | Amadou Onana | Everton | Aston Villa | £50.1m |
5 | Michael Olise | Crystal Palace | Bayern Munich | £44.7m |
6 | Douglas Luiz | Aston Villa | Juventus | £43.4m |
7 | Joao Palhinha | Fulham | Bayern Munich | £43m |
8 | Endrick | Palmeiras | Real Madrid | £40m |
9 | Max Kilman | Wolves | West Ham | £40m |
10
Max Kilman – £40m
From Wolves to West Ham
Max Kilman completed a move to West Ham for £40m in early July, signing a seven-year contract with the Hammers. The centre-back spent time playing under the new West Ham manager, Julen Lopetegui, during the 2022/23 season when the Spanish coach was in charge at Wolves. Kilman made 127 Premier League appearances during his time at Molineux and established himself as one of the most consistent performers in the top flight.
A talking point of the transfer was that Maidenhead United banked £4m from the deal. This is because the National League outfit had inserted a 10% sell-on clause when they sold Kilman to Wolves in 2018. The 27-year-old is set to be a key figure for the Hammers next season as they look to reassert themselves in the European positions.
9
Endrick – £40m
From Palmeiras to Real Madrid
Endrick is one of the most highly-rated youngsters in the world, prompting Real Madrid to sign him in December 2022. The current fee for the young Brazilian is around £40m, but this could rise to around £50m if further add-ons are met. There were suggestions that the 18-year-old would be sent on loan when he officially joins the club for the upcoming season. However, Fabrizio Romano has said that a temporary move away was never considered, and Madrid have plans in place for one of the most valuable teenagers in the world to develop in the coming years.
So far in his career, he has scored 30 goals and registered four assists at domestic level for Palmeiras. He has also made 10 appearances for his country, scoring three times. One of these was a winning goal against England in March 2024, making him the youngest scorer for club or country in the history of Wembley Stadium.
8
Joao Palhinha – £43m
From Fulham to Bayern Munich
Joao Palhinha looked set to move to Bayern Munich in September 2023 on deadline day, but the deal collapsed at the final hour because Fulham were unable to find a replacement. Nearly a year later, the Portuguese midfielder finally completed his transfer to the German giants for a fee of around £43m.
The Portuguese international’s contract runs until June 2028, and Bayern will hope he can play a key role in reclaiming the Bundesliga title after Bayer Leverkusen broke their 11-year hold on the trophy last season. Palhinha spent two years at Fulham, playing 79 times for the club. In the 2022/23 campaign, he won the club’s Player of the Year award and became one of the best defensive midfielders in the English top flight.
7
Douglas Luiz – £43.4m
From Aston Villa to Juventus
Aston Villa knew that they needed a big player sale ahead of 30th June, the end of the financial year, to avoid breaching the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). Douglas Luiz was one of the players who was sacrificed to comply with these financial regulations and completed a move to Juventus ahead of the unofficial deadline.
The Brazilian midfielder signed a five-year deal with the Serie A club after helping Villa qualify for the Champions League last season. Luiz made over 200 appearances for Unai Emery’s side after joining from Manchester City in 2019. He will now play in Italy for the first time in his career and take part in the Champions League.
6
Michael Olise – £44.7m
From Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich
Michael Olise has been the subject of interest from elite clubs across Europe for the last couple of years, including Manchester United and Chelsea. He impressed for Crystal Palace last season, especially under the management of Oliver Glasner, scoring 10 goals and registering six assists in 19 appearances. Bayern were able to finalise a move for the 22-year-old in early July, three years after he moved to the Eagles from Reading for £8m. Olise has signed a five-year deal with the Bavarian giants and explained to the club’s official website that he had moved to Munich to “win as many titles as possible”.
5
Amadou Onana – £50.1m
From Everton to Aston Villa
Following Douglas Luiz’s departure, Aston Villa decided to replace him with Everton midfielder Amadou Onana. The 22-year-old Belgian spent two seasons on Merseyside, making 72 appearances for the club. Onana attracted interest from other Premier League clubs in the past year, including Arsenal, but he has now decided to make the switch to Villa Park following their Champions League qualification.
The fee for Onana was just over £50m, making him the club’s record signing. Playing under Emery and in the Champions League were key factors for Onana, who is looking to “take my game to the next level”. The former Toffee won’t have to wait long to reunite with his Everton teammates, as he faces Sean Dyche’s team on 14th September.
4
Joao Neves – £51.5m
From Benfica to PSG
3
A player that has been very highly-rated since breaking through at Benfica, Joao Neves finally got his big-money move when he joined French giants PSG for a fee north of £50m. The Portugal international had long been linked with a switch to the Premier League and Manchester United in particular, but it was the Parisiens who dipped into their pockets the most to convince Benfica to part ways with a talent who could conceivably form the bedrock of their midfield for the next decade to come.
From ditching their ‘Galactico’ era of the likes of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe – the latter of course joining Real Madrid on a free transfer earlier on in the 2024 summer transfer window – Luis Enrique appears to be diving head-first into this new-look PSG evolution of building around young and exciting talents. A midfield combination of Neves and Warren Zaire-Emery is certainly something that could form the basis of being the best engine room in the whole of European football sooner rather than later.
2
Moussa Diaby – £51.6m
From Aston Villa to Al-Ittihad
Moussa Diaby joined Villa last year for a fee of around £51.9m, but he is now on the move again. Al-Ittihad have signed the French winger for around £51.6m after he scored 10 goals in 54 appearances during the 2023/24 campaign. Diaby announced his departure on 24th July on X, writing:
“Villans, thank you for everything. It’s time to say goodbye. I’d like to thank the club, the team members, the staff and everyone working at Aston Villa.
“I’ve always given my best to help the club and the team, and we’ve had some great moments that will stay in my memory. We’ve had a fantastic season, with moments of joy and happiness.”
Villa have been extremely busy in the transfer market. They will be hoping that the likes of Jaden Philogene, Samuel Iling-Junior and Ian Maatsen can help fill the void left by Diaby’s departure. The 25-year-old winger will be tasked with improving Al-Ittihad’s league position, as they finished fifth in the Saudi Pro League last season despite being able to call upon French stars, N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema.
1
Leny Yoro – £52.18m
From Lille to Manchester United
Leny Yoro is the most expensive summer transfer in world football so far. Manchester United beat Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain to his signature after he impressed for Lille in Ligue 1 last season. The teenager played 32 times for Lille in the league last term, helping the club finish in the top four. United believe that they have signed one of the most exciting young prospects in Europe and have tied him down to a five-year contract.
Earlier in the window, it looked like United were pursuing Jarrad Branthwaite after two bids for the Everton defender. However, they deemed his £75m price tag excessive, prompting a shift in focus towards the chase of Yoro. Following his announcement, the French defender said:
“Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honour.
“Since my first conversations with the club, they set out a clear plan for how I can develop in Manchester as part of this exciting project, and showed a lot of care for me and my family.
“I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel it can be the perfect place to reach my potential and achieve my ambitions, together with my new teammates. I cannot wait to get started.”
Information gathered from Transfermarkt. Correct as of 29th July 2024.