Top Five Transfers of the summer window

With 1,349 deals completed and £4.7 billion spent, the summer transfer window is now behind us, with teams around the world strengthening their squads to give themselves the best possible chance of success in the 2024/25 season.

There have been some big-money moves this summer, however we’re going to take all things into account when listing what we think are the Top Five transfers of the summer window.

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Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid from PSG – FREE

It’s not often you see someone who might just be the best player in the world released on a free transfer. Following a dramatic saga last year when Mbappé was rumoured to be leaving French giants Paris Saint-Germain in favour of Real Madrid, he didn’t end up leaving.

This summer, however, the superstar’s contract ran out, which saw Real Madrid swoop in again. PSG receiving absolutely nothing for their talisman, having paid a whopping €180m to sign him from Monaco in 2017.

Although this technically wasn’t ‘free’ for Madrid, the €100m signing-on fee can be considered a bargain considering PSG slapped a €400 million price tag on him back in 2022. It also goes without saying that Carlo Ancelotti has slowly started poaching some of the world’s best talents and Los Blancos are set to be a ruthless outfit in the years to come.

Dani Olmo to Barcelona from RB Leipzig – £52.3 million

Following Spain’s dominant performance in the European Championships this summer, Barcelona were always going to have their eyes on one of their key men, and they might have just hit the jackpot with Dani Olmo.

Granted, Leipzig have done well to get that much for him considering his injury problems at the club which saw him miss 29 games last season. However, the quality he showed in the Spain kit shows he’s more than worth his price tag.

What many people don’t know is that Olmo is a former La Masia youth player, Barça’s youth academy, where he would’ve picked up the majority of the skills he took forward in his career, and he’ll likely play a sizeable, varied role for them this season.

Giorgi Mamardashvili to Liverpool from Valencia – £25 million

There has been plenty of speculation about Alisson Becker’s future at Liverpool, and considering his contract ends in 2026, Liverpool need to look ahead for a new number one for years to come. It looks set to be the Georgian talent Giorgi Mamardashvili who will be battling for the gloves at Anfield in the future, who emerged one of the stars of Euro 2024.

To pick up a keeper of such quality for such a low fee is great business from the Premier League club and, given his performances over the summer – including an 11-save performance against the Czech Republic – he looks a fair replacement for the Brazilian when the time comes.

Michael Olise to Bayern Munich from Crystal Palace – £50.7 million

First Harry Kane, and now Michael Olise, Bayern seem to be dipping their toes into the Premier League pool a bit more often, and both Crystal Palace and Bayern Munich got a good deal here with Olise.

The Frenchman had a great end to his season and has already kicked off his Bayern tenure with a ridiculous volley in a pre-season friendly, just 18 minutes into the game.

From the perspective of a Palace fan: yes, they’ve lost one of your main talents, but for that sum of money – which is by far the largest in their history – there’s plenty of scope to bring others in of similar ability for the fraction of the price.

Ilkay Gündogan to Manchester City from Barcelona – FREE

One of the more romantic transfers of the season sees Ilkay Gündogan return to the City ranks under Pep Guardiola. Granted, the transfer isn’t too good for Barca on paper, but has allowed them to squeeze in Dani Olmo given the financial pressure they’ve been under.

This is a multiple Premier League winner, and to have the German back in the squad will give Pep some comfort ahead of what will be another long season, with squad depth an absolute essential. To have someone back in your team who you trust and know you can rely on will put the rest of the team at ease and we’re sure City fans can’t wait to see him back in action.