Football’s ever-growing transfer market sees players become more and more expensive each and every year. This summer, however, it seems like the biggest moves will be the ones that cost nothing, at least in terms of an outright transfer fee.
Last summer, Kylian Mbappe made waves when he left Paris Saint-Germain at the end of his contract for the bright lights of Real Madrid without the French champions receiving any compensation whatsoever. This time around, several superstars could follow in his footsteps.
Liverpool’s sensational trident of scoring behemoth Mohamed Salah, captain Virgil van Dijk, and academy product Trent Alexander-Arnold all have deals expiring on June 30th, and none of them are in talks to remain at Anfield. Over in Germany, Joshua Kimmich could leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season, as could winger Leroy Sane. Arguably the best midfielder of his generation, Kevin De Bruyne is also out of contract at Manchester City, a side that appears desperate for a rebuild.
Whether any or all of them leave their current clubs remains to be seen. But if they do, their lack of a transfer fee will leave them struggling to make an impression on these two most expensive players on the planet today.
Neymar
Throughout his illustrious career, clubs have forked out a whopping €400 million to bring in Neymar. The Brazilian winger has recently returned to his boyhood team, Santos, after a disappointing stint with Al Hilal, where he appeared just seven times and cost the Saudi club a mighty €12.8 million per appearance.
His aim with the recent move back home is to return to full fitness after a dismal couple of years, which he has spent primarily in the treatment room. The FIFA World Cup is just over a year away, and the betting sites fancy Neymar and Brazil to make an impression. The popular Thunderpick crypto betting site makes them a 5/1 joint favorite to lift the trophy in North America next summer, and if they are to do so, their leading light will surely have a part to play. A lot of people will be keeping an eye on the Thunderpick betting site as play progresses.
The fees for Neymar started racking up when Barcelona brought the then-young sensation across the Atlantic from his homeland for some €88 million back in 2013. After a trophy-laden stint in Catalonia, PSG shocked the world when they paid €222 million to secure his services, shattering the transfer record in the process. More trophies followed, as did a bucket load of cash, but with the Parisians still not close to their goal of winning the UEFA Champions League, they decided to cash in on their prize asset in the summer of 2023 when they sold him to Al Hilal for €90m.
That took his cumulative transfer fees up to €400m, the most of anybody. But his stint in Saudi was an unmitigated disaster, and he will serve as an example to clubs from the region of what not to spend their money on in the future.
Romelu Lukaku
Current Napoli hitman Romelu Lukaku is another who has triggered clubs to fork out an absolute fortune over the years. Currently reunited with Antonio Conte in Napoli, the Belgian striker has scored goals aplenty throughout his career, and at the age of 31, they should surely continue to flow, at least for the next couple of years. He shot to stardom as a teenager in the Belgian Pro League, breaking into the Anderlecht first team and terrorizing defenders with his size, speed, and sheer power, despite his tender years.
Chelsea was the first to pull the trigger, paying €15m for the 19-year-old in the summer of 2013. He spent seasons on loan with fellow Premier League outfits West Bromwich Albion and Everton before the latter signed him permanently for some €35 million, in addition to the €3.5 million they had already paid for a season-long loan fee the year prior. The goals began to flow regularly at Goodison Park, and it wasn’t long before Jose Mourinho – the man who signed him at Chelsea – came calling once more.
The Special One to Big Rom to Old Trafford for €85 million, beating the Blues to his signature in the biggest saga of the summer. After two years with the Red Devils, Lukaku linked up with Antonio Conte for the first time at Inter Milan, ending the Nerazzurri’s ten-year wait for the Scudetto in his first season. He then went back to Chelsea, and he looked like a superstar, at least for the first six months. Then, the wheels came off, and the powerhouse striker returned to the San Siro on loan.
After several loans back to Serie A, Lukaku finally found a permanent home at the start of the season. That was with Napoli, with Conte paying €30m to sign the 31-year-old, taking the total accumulative spend to acquire his services to an eye-watering €370m.
