Liverpool and Manchester United buys also included…
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GK) Barcelona’s two keeper buys: Claudio Bravo & Marc-Andre ter Stegen for €19m
Instead of buying a renowned world-class keeper, as a club in Barcelona’s position undoubtedly could, the Catalan giants spent €19m on two keepers who will now fight for the no.1 jersey. Bravo is 31-years-old, while ter Stegen isn’t in Germany’s international squad.Very few keepers move for that kind of cash, and with Liverpool’s Pepe Reina available for a very small sum – the deals seem strange, although ter Stegen could eventually develop into a top notch stopper.
DR) Arsenal buy Mathieu Debuchy for £12m
Debuchy hardly stood out as a player of top European pedigree while at Newcastle, but following a promising World Cup, Arsenal decided to spend £12m on the Frenchman, who turns 29 before the start of next season.
DC) Manchester City close to signing Eliaquim Mangala for £32m
Mangala was France’s fourth choice centre-back at the World Cup, behind Liverpool’s shaky centre-back Mamadou Sakho – but City are still willing to make him the third most expensive defender of all time by paying Porto this massive fee.
DC) Liverpool on verge of signing Dejan Lovren for £20m
Lovren cost Southampton only £8.5m last summer, but after a decent debut Premier League season, his price has more than doubled.
DL) Manchester United buy Luke Shaw for £27m (rising to £31m)
Shaw is undeniably an extremely promising and talented player, but this kind of money is normally reserved for truly world-class defenders, not ones brimming with potential.
DMC) PSG sign David Luiz for £40m (rising to £50m)
Easily the most ludicrous transfer fee of the summer, the defender struggled to get into Chelsea’s side last season, and captained Brazil to their 7-1 World Cup semi-final humiliation over the summer.
MC) Manchester United sign Ander Herrera for £28m
Herrera has never won a cap for his country, but still moved for almost £30m – a similar price Chelsea paid for the proven world-class central midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
MC) Liverpool sign Adam Lallana for £25m
Lallana, aged 26, has only been playing Premier League football for two seasons, and only last season earned himself a spot in the England squad. His huge fee here is symbolic of the premium put on English footballers.
AMR) Real Madrid sign James Rodriguez for £63m
The second most expensive signing of the summer so far, and the fourth of all time – Real Madrid essentially signed Rodriguez for this sum after his excellent World Cup. Last year with AS Monaco, he did well, but certainly didn’t stick out as one of the world’s best players.
AML) West Ham purchase Enner Valencia for £15m
Enner Valencia had a decent World Cup, but has only played in the minor Ecuadorian league, and for six months in Mexico with Pachuca. Therefore, a £15m fee seems incredibly steep.
FC) Fulham sign Ross McCormack for £11m
McCormack is a good Championship striker, but £11m for a 27-year-old forward who’s never played Premier League football seems completely absurd – and a true sign that the transfer market has gone crazy this summer.
