This year’s summer transfer window is undoubtedly the craziest of all time.
From Lionel Messi’s shock transfer to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona, to Cristiano Ronaldo’s equally shocking return to Manchester United, having looked certain to head across the city to, well, City, the just-ended window was a nonstop thrill-ride.
There were a number of notable moves as well, with Chelsea capturing La Liga winner, Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid, Antoine Griezmann returned to Atletico while Barcelona signed Luuk de Jong.
Despite the high-profile names involved, none of these transfers actually made it into the list of the most expensive transfers of the summer.
5. Ben White (FROM: Brighton TO: Arsenal) £50m
Ben White’s transfer to Arsenal from Brighton was seen as an expensive but necessary buy for the Gunners who needed some quality reinforcements in defence.
His arrival was the first of a flurry of signings for Arsenal who are hoping to fight their way back into the European places.
4. Achraf Hakimi (FROM: Inter Milan TO: PSG) £51.5m
With Serie A winners Inter Milan needing to scrape some cash together this summer, a number of high-profile departures were expected.
The first was Achraf Hakimi’s almost £52 million move to PSG. The full-back was a key member of Inter’s title run but is now part of the French club’s new era of galacticos.
3. Jadon Sancho (FROM: Borussia Dortmund TO: Man Utd) £73m
United’s top transfer target for the last two summer transfer windows finally arrived at Old Trafford for a significantly lower transfer fee than was demanded last year.
Sancho’s £73 million fee is still the third-highest paid this summer; great things will be expected from the young star this season.
2. Romelu Lukaku (FROM: Inter Milan TO: Chelsea) £97.5m
The second of Inter Milan’s major departures, the MVP of last season’s Serie A, Romelu Lukaku pushed for a return to European Champions Chelsea when the Blues showed interest.
Inter who were initially reluctant to let the Belgian leave, wanted as much as they could get for their best players and a massive fee of £97.5 million was agreed as Lukaku got the homecoming he’d always dreamed of.
1. Jack Grealish (FROM: Aston Villa TO: Man City) £100m
Jack Grealish was one of the most sought-after players in the Premier League following another impressive season at Aston Villa.
Villa were obviously determined to keep their star man, offering him an improved contract but the allure of Premier League champions Man City was too strong to turn down.
After City tabled a £100 million offer, triggering a release clause in Grealish’s contract, the deal was done.
