England Leads the 'Summer Mercato' with Record Deals

English clubs dominated the most high-profile player transfers during the summer window in Europe, while powerhouse clubs seeking to avoid further disappointments, such as Spain’s Real Madrid and Italy’s Milan and Juventus, strengthened their squads significantly.

England: A New Spending Record

Premier League clubs shattered their previous record for spending in a single transfer window, which stood at £3.1 billion (approximately $4.2 billion), after Manchester City paid Chelsea £125 million ($169 million) to sign Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández, and also signed Senegalese forward Iliman Ndiaye from Everton.

City capped a frenetic day of spending as they sought to equip their new Italian manager, Enzo Maresca, with a squad capable of reclaiming the Premier League title. According to reports, the deal for the Argentine international equaled the British transfer record, previously held by Swedish striker Alexander Isak, who moved to Liverpool for £125 million ($169 million) a year ago.

This deal helped push total Premier League spending during the transfer period to a staggering £3.46 billion (approximately $4.67 billion).

With the addition of Fernández, City’s spending on midfielders has exceeded £325 million ($439 million), after also signing English international Elliott Anderson and young Moroccan talent Ayoub Bouaddi.

As a result, the Premier League accounts for nine of the top ten biggest deals of the summer. City tops the list with Fernández (approximately $169 million), followed by Chelsea’s signing of Morgan Rogers ($160 million), City again with Elliott Anderson ($157 million), and Liverpool’s acquisition of French midfielder Bradley Barcola ($145 million, excluding potential add-ons).

Spain: Seven New Signings for Real Madrid and Barcelona

After two seasons without winning any major trophy, Real Madrid launched a notable rebuilding process, marked by the return of Portuguese manager José Mourinho to the bench and the signing of several summer reinforcements. The primary objective is to wrestle the La Liga title from Barcelona.

The Madrid-based club executed its most expensive transfer window since 2021, spending over $250 million to sign 19-year-old Ivorian winger Yan Dhanda, Spanish World Cup winner Marc Cucurella, French defender Ibrahim Konaté, Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva, Dutch full-back Denzel Dumfries, young Spanish striker Carlos Espí, and rising talent Sergio Martínez from Santander.

Meanwhile, Barcelona, under German manager Hansi Flick, parted ways with their most effective strikers, Polish forward Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

However, the Catalan giants strengthened their ranks with the arrivals of English winger Anthony Gordon, German defender Karim Adeyemi, and, most notably, Brazilian international Gabriel Jesus, who signed a three-year contract arriving from Arsenal just hours before the transfer window closed.

Barcelona also snatched Rodri, the other World Cup winner, from their Madrid rivals, and added the young Belgian talent Jesse Bieseu (18). In addition to retaining Alvarez, Atletico bet on South Korean Paris Saint-Germain player Lee Kang-in, Danish midfielder Morten Hjulmand, Spanish full-back Alejandro Grimaldo, and Argentine defender Cristian Romero to rebuild a squad capable of competing with Spain’s two giants.

Italy: Milan and Juventus in the Lead

After a new disappointing season that denied them the lucrative Champions League revenues, Milan and Juventus were the most active clubs in Serie A, each spending $185 million. Milan broke its transfer record by paying €85 million to sign Portuguese forward Goncalo Ramos from Paris Saint-Germain, and spent $58 million to sign another French league player, Belgian winger Diego Moreira from Strasbourg.

Juventus signed French forward Randal Kolo Muani ($49 million), whose prospects at PSG had diminished, and hopes to offload the high salary of former Lille striker Jonathan David, who disappointed last season, by loaning him to Atletico Madrid.

Meanwhile, Inter, the defending champions and top contenders, signed Englishmen Jade Spencer (Tottenham) and Curtis Jones (Liverpool) for $35 million each, not forgetting John Stones, who joined on a free transfer from Manchester City.

In his first Champions League campaign, Como has been trying for weeks to sign Fiorentina international Moise Kean in a deal that could be finalized on Tuesday for $46 million.

Roma could also be among the winners in the final hours of the transfer window after already spending $145 million (Argentine Santiago Castro, Dutchman Donny van de Beek, Portuguese Rodrigo Mora).

Germany: Bayern Secured Deals Early

Bayern Munich, who reached the Champions League semi-finals, quickly closed their summer window with two deals totaling €100 million (approximately $116 million), announced in early July during the 2026 World Cup: German international Nathaniel Brown, capable of playing both left-back and playmaker, and Moroccan international Ismael Saibari, one of the standout attacking discoveries for the Atlas Lions at the World Cup.

Borussia Dortmund showed activity in the market by signing French defender Gado, and two young Greek internationals: 18-year-old Konstantinos Karipidis and 23-year-old Yannis Konstantelias. However, the latter suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee in the first round of the league and will miss a significant part of the season.

Stuttgart relied on young German striker Djenan Bitzichinovic, while Frenchman Christopher Nkunku was loaned for one season to Leipzig, the club where he rose to prominence between 2019 and 2023.

France: PSG the Main Driver

Paris Saint-Germain was the main driver in France, recording the highest sales total in its history, particularly through Bradley Barcola’s move to Liverpool.

However, the most prominent feature of the transfer window was a widespread reduction in spending by most clubs under pressure from the difficult financial situation facing French football.

This trend was clear this summer: the 18 clubs sold far more than they bought. According to the specialized website Transfermarkt, sales totaled approximately $1.4 billion, while purchases amounted to just over $660 million.

The two-time European champion spent just over $170 million on the signings of Magnus Akliouch ($58 million), Spaniard Ferran Torres ($52 million), Belgian Mika Godts ($52 million), and international Lucas Digne ($8 million). However, the sales of Parkula, Ramos, Senegalese Ibrahim Mbaye, Kolo Mani, and Kang-In brought in more than double what the club had spent.