10 Most Expensive Transfers Of 2017
Clubs all over the continent have been busy emptying their wallets ahead of the 2017/18 season. This summer’s transfer window is in full swing and the amount of money spent already is nothing short of eye-watering.
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We’ve already seen records broken this year, and no doubt we’ll see even more smashed by the time the window closes. For now, here are the 10 Most Expensive Transfers Of 2017 so far…
10. Corentin Tolisso – £35.3 million
A graduate of the Lyon academy, 22-year-old Tolisso made over 100 appearances for the Ligue 1 side before completing a switch to Bayern Munich earlier this summer.
The versatile midfielder had been linked with a host of big clubs, but it was the German champions who would ultimately capture the Frenchman’s signature in a big-money move.
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9. Mohamed Salah – £39 million
After a disappointing stint at Chelsea led to spells at Fiorentina and Roma, Egyptian winger Salah has made a return to the Premier League in one of the most expensive transfers of 2017.
Salah joins an elite attacking force at Liverpool and will be hoping to get much more playing time than the three league appearances he made for Chelsea during the 2014/15 season.
8. Bernardo Silva – £43 million
An impressive return of 11 goals and 12 assists in all competitions last year landed 22-year-old attacking midfielder Silva with a huge transfer to Manchester City.
A European champion with Portugal, Silva was a standout player in a Monca team that lifted Ligue 1 last year and he has been tipped for great success under Pep Guardiola.
7. Alexandre Lacazette – £46.5 million
After years of being linked with a move to Arsenal, Lacazette finally put pen to paper on a transfer that not only tops our list of the most expensive transfers in 2017 but also smashed the North London club’s transfer record.
The 26-year-old French striker netted 37 times in all competitions last season and will be under close scrutiny to do something similar in next year’s Premier League.
6. Kyle Walker – £50 million
After a few consecutive season of stellar performances for Spurs, Kyle Walker established himself as one of the finest right-backs in Europe.
With pace and attacking flair suited to the modern game, and a defensive work ethic to boot, it was a matter of time before the big-mone offers came knocking. Sure enough, Manchester City stumped up the cash price demanded by Spurs and Pep Guardiola got his man, making the English right-back the 4th most expensive transfer of 2017 so far.
5. Benjamin Mendy – £51 million
After helping Monaco to the Ligue 1 title in his first year at the club, the young French left-back didn’t waste time in moving on to bigger fish, becoming Pep Guardiola’s fifth signing of the summer and becoming the most expensive defender of all time in the process.
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City fans will be hoping the powerful full-back can make an immediate impact as they look to mount a challenge in England and Europe in the coming season.
4. Alvaro Morata – £58 million
For months it seemed Morata was destined for north England and set to rekindle his relationship with Jose Mourinho at Manchester United. however, money spent by United elsewhere would be a twist of fate in the Spanish striker’s future.
Instead, he has joined Chelsea and will work under Antonio Conte, the man who brought him to Juventus in 2014. His hefty price tag makes him one of the most expensive transfers of 2017 by quite a margin, but the Chelsea faithful won’t mind provided he can fill the large shoes of Diego Costa.
3. Romelu Lukaku – £75 million
When the big Belgian announced he would not be extending his stay at Goodison Park in May he put many of Europe’s biggest clubs on red alert. 25 league goals for Rom last season is a testament to the prolific striker he has become.
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Naturally, such an amount of goals warrant a very sizeable price tag, and it was Manchester United who would ultimately pay an initial fee of £75 million to get their man. Will he live up to the billing? Only time will tell.
2. Ousmane Dembele – £97 million
The 2016/17 season was a whirlwind for the 20-year-old attacker. Promising showings for Rennes landed him a move to German giants Borussia Dortmund.
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The Frenchman would make his name known to footballing fans around the world as he dazzled the Dortmund fans. His performances didn’t go unnoticed by the national side’s manager Didier Deschamps, and Dembele has since been capped seven times for France since 2016.
His move to Barcelona on August 28th was not only one of the most expensive transfers of 2017 but is also the joint-2nd most expensive signing of all time.
1. Neymar Jr. – £200 million
Probably the biggest shock of any transfer window in recent memory, Qatar-fuelled PSG activated Neymar’s €222 million release clause, entitling them to bypass the Barcelona board and speak directly to the player about a possible transfer to the French capital.
One-third of the deadly MSN strike-force, many believed the move would never happen, and even after Neymar agreed to leave the Catalan giants it appeared La Liga would not accept the world-record smashing fee as it did not comply with FIFA’a “Financial Fair Play” rules.
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However, after much legal debate and negotiation, Neymar’s move was finalised and in becoming PSG’s new No. 10, he also became the most expensive transfer in the history of the sport by an incredible margin of £110 million.
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