 | « Back to article | Print this article |
English Premier League clubs exceeded the one billion pounds barrier for the first time when the curtain fell on a transfer deadline day in England, on Wednesday.
Chelsea re-signed David Luiz and Premier League champions Leicester City broke their transfer record for striker Islam Slimani on a busy day for the English clubs.
Fees paid by Premier League clubs passed one billion pounds for the first time, according to financial analysts Deloitte.
That was inflated by the world record 89 million pounds ($115.98 million) that Manchester United paid Juventus for France midfielder Paul Pogba earlier in the window. That is the biggest deal of the summer transfer window, while Gonzalo Higuain's $98.89 million move to Juventus makes him the second most costliest purchase of this transfer window.
Check out the top five summer transfers for the 2016-17 season:
Pogba joined United for a world record fee of $115.98 million
France midfielder Paul Pogba rejoined Manchester United from Italian champions Juventus on a five-year contract, with the option to extend for a further year.
United splashed out a world record fee of 89 million pounds ($115.98 million) on the 23--year-old, eclipsing the 100 million euros ($110.84 million) Real Madrid paid for Welshman Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013.
Pogba joined Juventus in 2012, having come through Le Havre's youth system before moving to United's academy in 2009.
He won four Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia trophies in a successful spell with the Turin club but was criticised after failing to shine in the 2015 Champions League final defeat by Barcelona and France's Euro 2016 loss to Portugal on home soil.
Pogba had signed for United on a three-year deal with a one-year renewal option which then United manager Alex Ferguson was keen to activate but the 18-year-old was frustrated by a lack of first-team opportunities at the club and decided to leave. The Frenchman made just seven first-team appearances for United, all off the bench, before he left for Italy.
Juventus snap up Higuain for a massive $98.89 million
Juventus snapped up Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli after the Turin club agreed to pay a buyout clause of 90 million euros ($98.89 million), the fourth highest transfer fee ever paid.
The Turin-based club triggered the release clause for the 28-year-old, who still had two years to run on his contract.
Higuain's transfer fee is the third highest paid, after Pogba's signing for United, Gareth Bale's move to Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur for 100 million euros in 2013 and Cristiano Ronaldo joining the Spaniards from Manchester United for 94 million euros in 2009.
Last season Higuain scored a record 36 Serie A goals in 35 games for Napoli, who finished runners-up as Juventus won a fifth consecutive title. He joined Napoli in 2013 after spending six years at Real.
Brazilian Hulk moves to Shanghai for $62 million
Zenit St Petersburg forward Hulk joined Chinese club Shanghai SIPG for a record 55.8 million Euros ($62 million), the biggest transfer deal in Russian football history.
The 29-year-old Hulk, who has won 46 caps for Brazil and scored 11 goals, joined Zenit from Porto in 2012 for 40 million euros. He scored 56 goals for Zenit in 97 Russian Premier League matches and was the league's top scorer in the 2014-15 season with 15 goals. Zenit finished third last season.
Shanghai SIPG, fourth in the Chinese Super League, are coached by the former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
City make Stones world's second most expensive defender
Manchester City signed England centre back John Stones from Everton on a six-year contract, with the British media putting the transfer fee at 47.5 million pounds ($61.64 million).
Stones, who joined Everton from Barnsley in 2013 for three million pounds, became the world's second most expensive defender after Brazilian David Luiz, who moved from Chelsea to Paris St Germain for 50 million pounds in 2014.
New city manager Pep Guardiola, who joined the Manchester club from Bayern Munich in the close season, has identified the defender as the perfect fit for his possession-based game.
Winger Sane joins Manchester City for $48.96 million
German winger Leroy Sane agreed to a five-year deal to join Manchester City from Bundesliga side Schalke 04.
No financial details of the contract were disclosed but British media reported that City had paid 37 million pounds ($48.96 million) for the 20-year-old.
Sane scored eight goals and made six assists for Schalke last season as the club finished fifth in the standings.
Sane was also part of Joachim Loew's Germany team for the 2016 European Championship, where he made a late substitute appearance in their 2-0 semi-final defeat to France last month.