Football

The biggest football transfers of the summer! The big clubs have saved money this time

The summer football transfers are over and it was evident that the big clubs are saving this time. None of the leading European clubs paid more than 80 million euros for a new player.

Published

3 months ago

9. 9. 2024

Nikola Andreev

The summer football transfers are over and it was evident that the big clubs are saving this time. None of the leading European clubs paid more than 80 million euros for a new player. Unlike last year, when records in the hundreds of millions of euros were broken, this year the highest amounts were below that threshold. Still, there have been some interesting transfers.

The most expensive transfer of the summer: Julián Álvarez to Atlético Madrid for €75 million
Clubs spent less this year – the €80 million threshold was not broken
Still, there were some significant transfers

Clubs saved money this summer

The 2024 summer transfer window brought many surprises, but perhaps of a different nature than the footballing public expected. After last year, when we witnessed several transfers exceeding the hundred million mark, this year it was expected that Europe’s biggest clubs would once again dig deep into their coffers. However, the reality was different.

Not one of the leading clubs decided to break the magical €80 million mark for a single player this year. In contrast to 2023, when four transfers exceeded €100 million, this summer was marked by a more economical approach. Still, we saw some significant transfers that could significantly affect the course of the 2024/2025 season.

Álvarez the king of transfers

The biggest investment was made by Atlético Madrid, who decided to pay €75 million for Argentine striker Julian Álvarez from Manchester City. This transfer was one of the most significant of this summer, not only because of the amount, but also because of the player himself. Álvarez has decided to leave his position as a second striker behind Erling Haaland and head somewhere where he could be the leader of the offense. In Madrid, he found an ideal partner in coach Diego Simeone, who promised him a key role in the team.

A similarly interesting move took place in London, where Tottenham invested 66.44 million euros in English striker Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth. This transfer marked a record purchase for Tottenham and a record sale for Bournemouth. Solanke will get a chance in a team that wants to fight for the top positions in the English league this season.

Other significant transfers

In third place was Gonçalo Ramos, whose transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, although announced in November 2023, was not activated until July 2024. PSG paid 65 million euros for him to Benfica. Ramos was supposed to be one of the players to replace Kylian Mbappé after his departure to Real Madrid, but he was injured right at the beginning of the season, which complicated his integration into the team.

Other notable transfers included Leny Yore’s move from Lille to Manchester United for €63 million or Pedro Neto’s move from Wolverhampton to Chelsea for €60 million. While these transactions did not amount to astronomical sums, they could significantly affect the performances of the strengthened teams in the upcoming season.

Paris Saint-Germain have decided to invest in young talent this season, as evidenced by the transfer of João Neves from Benfica for 59.92 million euros. The Portuguese midfielder has made an immediate impact at his new club and could be a key player for PSG in the coming months.

Barcelona can boast a similarly successful purchase, bringing in Dani Olmo from Leipzig for €55 million. The Spanish midfielder has performed brilliantly at Barcelona and is proving to be an important signing for the Catalan club.

The 2024 summer transfer window may not have brought record sums, but it certainly didn’t disappoint. Despite the relatively lower sums, we have seen transfers that can significantly shuffle the cards in the major European leagues.