The Summer transfer window has barely been opened and huge signings have already been made across the European continent. Real Madrid and Barcelona have so far been dominant in this regard.
Nairametrics has been tracking the list of summer signings made across all the European teams, whilst rating the top highest paid fee. Based on our findings, Real Madrid has five signings of which four is part of this ranking. The club’s total signing fee so far sums up to £267 million.
Below are the top ten football signings across European clubs.
10. Thorgan Harzard (Borussia Monchengladbach to Borussia Dortmund) £30 million
After months of speculation, Borussia Dortmund has officially secured the signing of Borussia Mönchengladbach’s forward, Thorgan Hazard, on a five-year contract.
The Belgian international has already spent half a decade making a name for himself in the Bundesliga. Yet, very little is known about the 26-year-old (Eden Hazard’s little brother, as most people know him) outside of Germany.
9. Raul Jimenez (Benfica to Wolverhampton Wanderers) – £30million
Wolves have confirmed the club‑record £30 million signing of Raúl Jiménez from Benfica. The striker’s move will become a permanent one in the summer of 2019 when his season-long loan expires at the end of June. Jiménez, who has been a revelation for Wolves this season, has agreed to a four‑year contract.
8. Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart to Bayern Munich) £31.4 million
The 22-year-old defender has signed a five-year deal with the record-holding German champions, as announced by the club’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic at Bayern’s winter training camp in Doha. According to Salihamidzic;
“He’s a young player and a world champion. We’re glad and proud to have gained such a player for FC Bayern.”
Pavard, who can operate across the back line as well as in defensive midfield, joined Stuttgart from French side Lille in 2016. He made 21 appearances in the Swabians’ Bundesliga 2 promotion campaign before playing every single minute of his maiden Bundesliga season in 2017/18.
7. Rodrygo (Santos to Real Madrid) – £40 million
The Spanish giants are intent on snapping up the best young South American talents. Having already landed Vinicius Junior, they will now get another left winger with huge potential. He’s already made more than 80 appearances across all competitions at just 17 years old and has netted nine times in 41 Serie A appearances.
6. Eder Militao (FC Porto to Real Madrid) – £45 million
This was announced back in March but is still technically a summer transfer since the deal was never ratified until June. The Brazilian defender’s rise to the top has been extraordinary given he only joined Porto last summer for just £5 million. He has increased his value by 800% in just one year. He initially played at right-back in Portugal but then excelled in the centre of defense, where he is likely to operate for Zinedine Zidane.
5. Ferland Mendy (Lyon to Real Madrid) – £47 million
The French International who is just 24 years old, has signed a six-year deal at the Bernabeu. Former Paris St-Germain youngster joined Lyon from Le Havre in 2017 and made 79 appearances for the Ligue 1 club in two seasons. He played in every game of their Champions League run to the last-16 last season.
4. Luka Jovic (Eintracht Frankfurt to Real Madrid) – £58 million
One of the finest young poachers in world football today, the Serbian was an inspired loan signing from Benfica by the Germans two summers ago. After 34 goals in 70 games, they jumped at the chance to activate a £7 million clause in his contract back in April. Just two months later they have sold him for almost ten times that amount – although around £10 million is set to go to Benfica as part of their arrangement.
3. Frenkie de Jong (Ajax to Barcelona) – £65 milllion
De Jong showed Real Madrid, Juventus, and Tottenham his class in the Champions League. He is now set to become a key player in Ernesto Valverde’s team almost immediately.
2. Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid to Bayern Munich) – £80 million
The 23-year-old French defender was a part of the 2018 World Cup winning team. He now joins Bayern for a record-breaking fee. He is one of the most powerful defenders in the game, although he has plenty of room to grow. The £80 million fee makes him the most expensive Bundesliga player of all time and the most expensive defender ever too. It’s also the first time in a long time that Lucas Hernandez has made a big change.
1. Eden Hazard (Chelsea to Real Madrid) – £88 million
The Ex-Chelsea skipper is the highest signing in this year summer transfer window so far. After he led Chelsea to a Europa final win over Arsenal, where he scored two goals in what eventually was his last match for the blues. The Belgian forward could still cost as much as £100 million and is up to double his wages. This move could also rank him among the football big boys with the likes of C. Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar.
