The summer transfer window is open. Here are the big deals in the men’s game and how we rate them.
Once again, in spite of a global financial crisis, the men’s soccer clubs around Europe spent an incredible amount of money to sign players in January, and this summer might not be any different.
Indeed, clubs spent a record $1.57 billion (£1.27bn) on transfers in the January transfer window, according to FIFA, with the Premier League doing most of the heavy lifting at 57.3% of the total.
But with two giants of the game in Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) and Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) now taking their careers outside of Europe, who will step up?
Here are grades for all the major summer transfers in the men’s game, with each day’s moves listed in order of highest fee.
All fees are reported unless confirmed with an asterisk (*).
Lyon: A
PSG: B
Barcola only made his first-team debut for Lyon in November 2021 and his rapid rise has seen his transfer value skyrocket. Lyon are used to moving on their stars for big money and although they are strengthening a rival in Ligue 1, they’ll accept it as good business for a player who has only one season behind him.
PSG are spending big on potential now Lionel Messi and Neymar have departed and the 20-year-old has bags of it. Versatile and quick, Barcola should complement the club’s attacking lineup well, though he may not get as much game time as he would have if he had stayed at Lyon.
Chelsea: D
Roma: B-
That €115m move from Inter Milan in 2021 is looking worse and worse. Another year, another loan. Lukaku’s move will net a €9m loan fee, but Chelsea really need to cut their losses and move him on permanently.
Roma know that the Belgian striker can perform in Serie A, plus there’s no obligation to sign him permanently in the deal. Lukaku’s former boss Jose Mourinho might get the best out of him, but it’s still a bit of a gamble.
Arsenal: B+
Monaco: B
Two goals in 10 appearances for Arsenal’s senior team and an initial €30m fee plus €10m in add-ons … not bad. His loan spell at Reims last season where he scored 22 goals in 39 games made this happen.
Monaco know that the United States international can score in Ligue 1 and the move seems a good fit for him, given he wasn’t going to play at the Emirates. It’s a lot of money to pay for a player with only one good season behind him, but at 22 he can develop.
Bayern: C+
Inter Milan: B
A €35m arrival from Stuttgart in 2019, Pavard will leave for around the same fee four years later. Financially, Bayern have done well, but they didn’t want to lose the defender so have to lose marks.
Inter can consider this a decent deal as Pavard is 27 years old, versatile and will certainly strengthen their defence. He should settle well in Italy.
Celta Vigo: D
Al-Ahli: A
A €40m release clause in the contract of one of Europe’s most sought-after young talents scuppered Celta’s hopes of getting any more money. But at least it’s all profit.
A statement move. The first young superstar to pick Saudi Arabia over a transfer inside Europe. Napoli missed out and the 21-year-old will earn five times more than the Italian club were willing to offer him per year. A sign of the times, but personally, the midfielder might regret it in a few years.
Julien Laurens lays out the strengths and weaknesses in Jérémy Doku’s game.
Rennes: B-
Man City: B
It’s impossible to dispute that Rennes have done well to develop an exciting young talent and get a big fee, but they will struggle to fill the hole left by Doku as they look to build on another fourth-place finish in Ligue 1 last season, especially as he was just beginning to add goals to his game, too.
Doku has the potential to bring something different to the City attack with his pace and trickery, but is that what Pep Guardiola wants? Let’s see how long the young Belgian’s individuality will light up the Premier League before he gets coached into becoming just another cog in the City machine.
Leeds United: B-
Bournemouth: B
With a £20m release clause in Adams’ contract, which became active when Leeds were relegated from the Premier League, there’s not much the club could do about his exit.
At 24, the USMNT star has room to grow and could be a valuable addition. He’s versatile and can assist at right-back, but he arrived injured so he could take some time to settle.
Southampton: A-
Chelsea: B-
Fair play, Southampton wanted over £50m and held out. It’s not easy for a club that has been relegated to call the shots, but they did. And they could get another £5m in add-ons.
Having already spent over £200m on two central midfielders in the past six months, Chelsea signing Lavia from under the noses of Liverpool feels like an excess. He’s a good player and has a bright future, but will he get the game time he needs to develop properly?
Stuttgart: C+
Liverpool: C+
Stuttgart’s captain joined permanently in 2020 and has won rave reviews for his performances in Germany. The club aren’t flush with cash though, so €19m could be a decent amount to get for a 30-year-old.
Let’s be honest, Endo wasn’t Liverpool’s first choice. The Japan international is an intense presser and has impressive stats in ball recovery, duels and tackling. But his career so far has comprised Japan, Belgium and Germany. Is he ready for the highest level?
Neymar was given a feverous reception when introduced to Al Hilal fans at their 70,000-capacity stadium.
PSG: A+
Al Hilal: C+
PSG wanted rid of a player who cost them €222m back in 2017, and they somehow managed to get €90m for his services at the age of 31. Pretty great business.
It feels like a statement signing for the Saudi Pro League, but it’s not really. The Brazil international was snubbed by every top European side he would have wanted to join, so opted to take the money. He’s the wrong side of 30, has injury issues and won’t be overly motivated to play.
Brentford: B+
Arsenal: C+
With a contract that expires in 2024, Raya had the cards in his favour over a move. Brentford did well to get an initial £3m loan fee and £27m obligatory fee next summer, designed to help Arsenal with financial fair play concerns.
I’ll be honest, I don’t get it. Aaron Ramsdale is No. 1 and has been one of the main reasons for the club’s success. Raya could push him, and it’s good to have competition, but even though he has arrived on loan, spending £27m to sign a backup goalkeeper is silly. It probably won’t end well for one of them.
Stewart Robson and Gab Marcotti discuss Moises Caicedo’s potential transfer to Chelsea from Brighton.
Brighton: A+
Chelsea: A
Brighton are so good at this. They signed the Ecuador international for around £4m in 2021 and have made a huge profit. They held on to their midfield star amid interest from Chelsea and Arsenal in January, then managed to get what could turn out to be a British transfer record for his services. Wow.
Chelsea had to pay more than they wanted, which was around £80m, as Liverpool made a bid of £111m. They were lucky the player wanted to move to Stamford Bridge, and once again they’ve landed one of the top young players in world football. He could be a world-class addition.
Chelsea: D
Real Madrid: B+
Chelsea signed a new No. 1 in Robert Sanchez, but sending the world’s most expensive goalkeeper out on loan isn’t a good look. He could have stayed and fought for his place, but Mauricio Pochettino clearly didn’t rate him. What a waste of €80m.
Signing David de Gea on a free transfer seemed like an easy win for Real Madrid, but Kepa will do a job while Thibaut Courtois recovers from his ACL injury. His form has been patchy over recent years, so they will hope he lands on his feet.
Harry Kane says his goodbye to Tottenham supporters through a video on his social media channels, as the England striker announces his move to Bayern.
Tottenham: A-
Bayern: A
Backed into a corner by the fact Kane’s contract was expiring next year, Tottenham had to let him go. They didn’t want to, but picking up €100m, with another possible €20m in add-ons, is pretty good for a 30-year-old.
Finally, Bayern have replaced Robert Lewandowski with a world-class striker. The club aren’t usually ones to pay over the odds, but the England international is worth every penny and should thrive in the Bundesliga.
Barcelona: C-
PSG: B+
Barca were forced to act as they had to agree to this low release clause when he signed his contract. A fee of €50m is super low for Dembele, and Barca were caught out. Although they will gladly take the money and might look back on his questionable injury record for comfort.
PSG are planning for the future and made use of the clause before it doubled to €100m. Well done to them, and it’s a surprise other clubs didn’t try the same. The France international can flourish in Paris, but he will need to show he can overcome his previous injury issues.
Arsenal: B
Nottingham Forest: B+
Turner served as backup to Aaron Ramsdale and made just seven appearances — all in cup competitions — so it’s no surprise to see him leave. The Gunners signed him for £5m and moved him on for £10m a year later, so it’s decent business.
Forest needed a new No. 1, and Turner cemented his position as the first-choice goalkeeper for the USMNT even though he wasn’t really playing at the Emirates. He should get a chance to show what he’s capable of.
Wolfsburg: B+
Tottenham: B
The German club have made a ten-fold profit on the young defender, a €4m signing from Volendam in 2021. They will miss him, but that kind of money will go a long way to rebuilding the squad.
Almost a midfielder disguised as a defender, with strong passing, dribbling and running skills, Van de Ven could be key to starting Spurs’ attacks from the back. He’s flown somewhat under the radar during his career, so €40m seems a lot, but he’s shown that he has some potential.
Southampton: B+
Newcastle: B
After Livramento failed to make a breakthrough at Chelsea, Southampton snapped him up for £5m in 2021 and have made a big profit given he missed over a year of football with a knee injury.
The right-back has only one full season under his belt, so Newcastle are gambling on his potential. It’s a huge fee for a 20-year-old with a questionable injury record, and it may come back to bite them. But he can learn from Kieran Trippier and is highly rated by those who have watched him play for years.
Benfica: D
PSG: A-
When you put a release clause of €120m into a player’s contract, you should only really accept offers that come close to it. And allowing your guy to move on loan first, that’s just silly. An option to sign permanently for €65m, plus €15m in add-ons, makes the total fee a potential €80m, but the 22-year-old should be worth more in this market and certainly shouldn’t be leaving on loan.
Ramos is the goal scorer whom PSG need and a versatile attacker who could help replace Kylian Mbappe in the long term. How PSG managed to negotiate a loan first to help with their financial fair play issues is incredible, and if they do opt to sign him permanently, then it’s a decent price for one of the top young forwards in Europe. He should do well in Ligue 1.
Frank Leboeuf reacts to Josko Gvardiol’s proposed transfer to Manchester City from RB Leipzig.
RB Leipzig: A+
Man City: A+
How do they keep doing it? Leipzig landed the Croatia international for just €19m from Dinamo Zagreb in 2021. Now his transfer is worth five times that amount. It helped that he had a good World Cup, but the club can just find another young star and do the same.
City have signed arguably the best young central defender in the world. At 21, he has room to grow and can slot in at left-back as well. It’s a lot to spend, almost a world-record amount for a defender, but he’s worth it. And there are no add-ons to pay either.
