Ranking the Biggest Bargains of the Transfer Window so Far
With every passing week of the summer, Europe's top teams are spending hundreds of millions of pounds. The market is inflated, but they don't care; the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea are still paying top dollar in order to secure top talents.
But not every club is armed with billionaire owners or revenue streams to die for; some must haggle hard for a decent price and hunt fervently for bargains.
It's largely that latter set of clubs saluted in this article, in which we chart the best bargain buys of the summer so far. The odd rich club makes an appearance—it's not all mid-to-lower-table glory here—and we doubly salute those for being prudent despite sitting on mountains of cash.
No loan deals are included, as they're only temporary (e.g. Tammy Abraham to Swansea City), and no permanent options taken up in accordance with loan deals struck last season have been included, either (e.g. Pablo Piatti to Espanyol).
Wages have been taken into account when assessing the deals, too—particularly free transfers—so this list is not simply full of free transfers who are on massive wages as a result (e.g. Sead Kolasinac of Arsenal).
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20. Valere Germain, Monaco to Marseille (£7M)
Valere Germain lost his place in the AS Monaco XI to Kylian Mbappe last season, and given the latter is still with the club and looks like he might be staying, it's perhaps unsurprising that the former left.
Germain doesn't score a truckload of goals, but he's a smart, playmaking forward with superb movement. And £7 million seems cheap given the prices the other Monaco stars are going for.
19. Paulo Oliveira, Sporting CP to Eibar (£3M)
Paulo Oliveira is a great player, but he's limited, and he found himself out in the cold at Sporting CP to an extent. Unable to play in a high defensive line, manager Jorge Jesus decided to sell him in a move that's best for both parties.
That's all to the gain of Eibar, who picked him up for just £3 million.
18. Adam Ounas, Bordeaux to Napoli (£8.5M)
Adam Ounas' emergence for Girondins de Bordeaux last season was an interesting watch, and it hasn't taken long for a top team to pounce.
The attacker has that mazy, low-to-the-ground style that makes the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Eden Hazard so difficult to contain, and for just shy of £10 million, Napoli landed a bargain.
17. Ludwig Augustinsson, Copenhagen to Werder Bremen (£4M)
In Ludwig Augustinsson, Werder Bremen secured a cheap deal for a talented player.
There's still plenty for the Swede to prove, but given the club already bought Thomas Delaney from the same club in January and that he's turned out to be a huge success, they'll be feeling confident.
16. Jordi Mboula, Barcelona to Monaco (£2.5M)
Every now and then, Barca drop a clanger with regard to release clauses. Thiago Alcantara's wasn't enough, and in a few years' time, we could well be saying the same about Mboula's.
Capable of highlight-reel runs, Monaco will have rightly felt it a no-brainer to swoop for Mboula at £2.5 million, and the player will have seen the club's treatment of Thomas Lemar, Kylian Mbappe and Co. and hope for the same.
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15. Kenny Tete, Ajax to Lyon (£3.5M)
This deal looks fine from both sides, which is rare. To Ajax, Kenny Tete was a player entering the last year of his contract and who was not established as a first-teamer; to Olympique Lyonnais, Tete is a bargain pickup.
An all-action, busy full-back, he tears around the pitch like a wild terrier. That occasionally leads him out of position, but his ability to recover with a spectacular tackle is matched by few.
14. Enis Bardhi, Ujpest to Levante (£1.3M)
Enis Bardhi impressed many at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship with Macedonia. An energetic, technically sound midfielder, he represents a steal for newly promoted Levante of La Liga.
13. Vincenzo Grifo, Freiburg to Borussia Monchengladbach (£5M)
Vincenzo Grifo has been scintillating for Freiburg over the past two seasons, racking up gaudy goal and assist figures, yet moved to Gladbach this summer for just £5 million. What gives?
The Italy youth international, aged 24, is approaching his prime, plays an intriguing role as a wide playmaker and was, at times, carrying his former club.
12. Mahmoud Dahoud, Borussia Monchengladbach to Borussia Dortmund (£10M)
This deal was agreed so long ago (March) that many have forgotten it transpired.
Mahmoud Dahoud bolsters Dortmund's midfield and can provide the box-to-box goodness that's been missing since Ilkay Gundogan left in 2016. You would struggle to find a better midfielder available for £10 million this summer.
11. Serge Gnabry, Werder Bremen to Bayern Munich (£7M)
Release causes can be terrors, can't they? Werder Bremen last summer took a flier on Gnabry, who excelled at the 2016 Rio Olympics but whose stock was severely damaged because of his lack of games at club level. One great season later, he's a Bayern Munich player.
All Werder got for him was a relatively measly £7 million.
10. Dani Ceballos, Real Betis to Real Madrid
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Fee: £15 million
Real Madrid acted swiftly following Dani Ceballos' standout European Under-21 Championship, securing him on a six-year deal after paying his buyout clause (and then a little extra, oddly).
In comparison with almost every other deal on this list, £15 million is quite a lot, but given the talent Ceballos has flashed over the last two years, this is still absurdly cheap. He has the ability to change games; quick feet, great vision and impressive dribbling skills make him a dangerous and exciting playmaker.
United with best friend Marco Asensio at the Santiago Bernabeu, they can grow together and Ceballos can mature. The pair represent the future of Spain's midfield, and Real Madrid have them both under lock and key.
9. Maxime Gonalons, Lyon to Roma
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Fee: £4 million
There are established reasons as to why Lyon were OK with waving goodbye to Maxime Gonalons—with the emergence of Lucas Tousart in his position and his poor form in 2016-17 chief among them—but that doesn't make it any less of a bargain for AS Roma.
Gonalons was down on his luck and in need of a fresh start. That happens to players. It's highly likely he rekindles his form in the Italian capital, and given how cheap he was, it won't be long before he's paid off his fee. This is a classic buy-low piece of business from director of football Monchi.
The Frenchman was once seen as one of Europe's premier holding midfielders, and at 28, he has plenty of time to climb back up the mountain.
8. Andres Guardado, PSV Eindhoven to Real Betis
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Fee: £2 million
Real Betis may have lost Ceballos this summer, and sure, that's the headline deal, but they've also added some nice pieces and look like they're on the verge of putting together a good team.
One of said pieces is Andres Guardado, who joined for a bargain fee of £2 million and will bring a lot to their midfield. A converted wing-back, his speed has dropped off, but in turn, his awareness and appreciation for the game has increased tenfold.
Dock him in central midfield and allow him to dictate. He won't steer you wrong.
7. Sebastien Corchia, Lille to Sevilla
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Fee: £4 million
Oh, look! Sevilla have secured an exceptional deal in the transfer market. Isn't that strange?
Los Rojiblancos may have lost scouting guru Monchi to Roma, but they're still working off an old network and an exit list that clearly has some gems on it. One of those is Sebastien Corchia, who ticks almost every box required.
New manager Eduardo Berizzo needed a first-team right-back to replace Mariano, and Corchia is coming off a good individual season for Lille—he was arguably their best player—is at the prime age of 26 and cost relatively little because he was entering the final year of his contract.
6. Jorge Mere, Sporting Gijon to Cologne
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Fee: £6 million
Europe's top clubs have taken their eyes off the ball here.
Jorge Mere has impressed greatly in La Liga over the past two seasons for Sporting Gijon and was imperious for Spain at the European Under-21 Championship over the summer. With Sporting relegated he opted to move on, and somehow Cologne were the ones who stole in and secured a bargain £6 million deal.
This is a player B/R writer Karl Matchett previously suggested as a viable option for both Barcelona and Real Madrid. He's big, physical, good on the ball and happy to step forward and play. He is a manager's dream.
He won't be at Cologne long and will end up at a top club, but failing to act this summer has cost someone tens of millions in the future.
5. Dominic Solanke, Chelsea to Liverpool
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Fee: Tribunal
It's not yet clear how much Dominic Solanke will cost Liverpool. Back in May, when the deal was first reported, Chris Bascombe of the Daily Telegraph suggested £3 million. According to Melissa Reddy of Goal, however, Chelsea want in excess of £10 million.
The courts will likely rule somewhere in the middle, and that would make it a bargain for the Reds. He's already shown what he's capable of this summer on two fronts, netting a stunner against Crystal Palace during the Premier League Asia Trophy and winning the Golden Ball at the FIFA U-20 World Cup with England.
He was a ruthless, menacing finisher for Chelsea's youth team and racked up goals with ease and is now improving his all-around game in preparation for life in senior football.
4. Sandro Ramirez, Malaga to Everton
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Fee: £5 million
Things have escalated quickly for Sandro Ramirez—and in a good way.
A Barcelona youth product, but not an outstanding one, his time at the club was prolonged only because they were facing a transfer ban. Once they emerged from that, he was dispensed with, and that's how he ended up at Malaga with a release clause of just £5 million.
But if 2016-17 began with his stock at a low, it ended with La Rosaleda chiefs likely cursing that they agreed to such a low release fee. Fourteen goals of all shapes and sizes in La Liga led to serious interest, and after helping Spain to the final of the European Under-21 Championship, he signed for the Toffees for a pittance.
He's got big shoes to fill at Goodison Park, but he's come a long way in 12 months and, at 22, can only develop and get better.
3. Nathaniel Chalobah, Chelsea to Watford
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Fee: £5 million
Nathaniel Chalobah was presented with a difficult choice earlier in July: sign a new, improved Chelsea contract and enjoy a slightly more expansive role in the side he's long aimed at breaching or drop down the table a little and become a key part of a different project.
Blues fans were disheartened to see him choose the latter, though they were understanding too. The most consistent football Chalobah's had in the past two seasons has been the European Under-21 Championships that have bookended them, and at 22, he needs to kick on and improve.
Watford have landed a homegrown bargain who can bolster their midfield and provide manager Marco Silva with a physical, disruptive presence. It's rare you see highly rated English players transfer for so little, but the Hornets pounced with just a year left on the player's contract and will reap the benefits.
2. Fabian Schar, Hoffenheim to Deportivo La Coruna
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Fee: £1.7 million
Fabian Schar barely played for Hoffenheim last season, totalling just 284 Bundesliga minutes in a disappointing campaign. Even with the club regularly utilising three centre-backs, he didn't get a look-in.
We're entering a World Cup year—a phrase you're going to hear a lot during the coming season—and Schar is battling to keep his place in the starting XI for a strong Switzerland team. He had no choice but to leave, and Hoffenheim head coach Julian Nagelsmann granted him that for an astonishingly low fee.
All it took for Deportivo La Coruna—who badly needed a good centre-half—to prise him away was £1.7 million. That's an absolute steal, no matter how little football Schar played in 2016-17.
1. Ruben Duarte, Espanyol to Deportivo Alaves
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Fee: £350,000
For Ruben Duarte to move for just £350,000 is borderline unbelievable. He has some issues, but for that price, it's not even a gamble.
This is a player who, at the beginning of the 2015-16 season, appeared to have the world at his feet. He'd broken into Espanyol's first team, had a regular gig at left-back and was producing defensively sound performances.
Off-field problems have regrettably held him back, and Aaron Martin—another fabulous young left-back—usurped him as a result. But even taking that into account, it's surprising Espanyol cut bait on him at all, let alone for an absolute pittance.
In Duarte, Deportivo Alaves landed the bargain of the transfer window so far.
All playing statistics via WhoScored.com
All transfer fees are via Transfermarkt unless noted otherwise.
