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The 2021 summer transfer market has been largely subdued due to the economic crunch caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Manchester City splurged £100 million on Jack Grealish and Chelsea spent £98 million on Romelu Lukaku, most other clubs have had to do with less extravagant signings.
So far, only the Premier League has seen massive expenditure across the division. England's top-flight has spent €1.02 billion on transfers this summer. Alternatively, La Liga has seen the least transfer expenditure, amounting to just €152.3 million.
Only Atletico Madrid splashed some cash on Rodrigo de Paul, with Barcelona and Real Madrid largely content with free transfers and getting rid of deadwood. The Bundesliga and Serie A have seen €340.3 million and €446.6 million spent so far, respectively.
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With no other club apart from City and Chelsea looking set to break their transfer fee records this summer, we take a look at the record signings of 10 of Europe's most popular clubs.
#10 Jack Grealish | Manchester City
Given the sheer volume of money Manchester City have spent in recent years, it is surprising that their record signing only arrived this summer. But Jack Grealish is now a Cityzen and it remains to be seen how he fits into Pep Guardiola's plans.
The 25-year-old, signed for £100 million from Aston Villa, has already featured as a left-sided midfielder and left-winger for Manchester City. While he impressed in both positions, it was as a left-winger that Grealish scored his first City goal, netting against Norwich City this weekend.
The Sky Blues have one of the most talented footballers going around at their disposal and Grealish is bound to only improve an already stacked side. City may not have needed him, with a striker still sorely required, but there is little doubt about Grealish's quality regardless of where he is deployed.
#9 Romelu Lukaku | Chelsea
Romelu Lukaku returns to Chelsea as one of the best strikers going around. The Belgian, who signed for £98 million from Inter Milan, helped Inter win the Serie A title last season and broke Juventus's monopoly. Both Timo Werner and Kai Havertz struggled to finish chances last season and with Olivier Giroud departing, Lukaku will shoulder the goalscoring responsibilities.
The 28-year-old returns to Stamford Bridge having scored 64 goals in 95 matches for the Nerazzurri. Lukaku also has 64 goals in 98 matches for Belgium and is his nation's leading goalscorer. With proven Premier League experience as well, he could very well prove to be a shrewd signing for Chelsea.
#8 Eden Hazard | Real Madrid
Eden Hazard has simply struggled since signing for Real Madrid in 2019. Arriving from Chelsea for £89 million, the Belgian has made just a measly 44 appearances for Los Blancos in two years. In those appearances, he has just five goals and nine assists as his dream move seems to have turned into a Spanish nightmare.
There are reasons to be positive, however, with Hazard displaying glimpses of brilliance from time to time. Carlo Ancelotti's return to the Bernabeu bench is also expected to bring the best out of the former Chelsea winger. Hazard even registered a delicious assist on Matchday 1 of the 2021-22 La Liga campaign.
Perhaps, this could be the season when we see the best of Real Madrid's number 7 after two years ravaged by fitness issues.
#7 Philippe Coutinho | Barcelona
Even seventh place on this list seems farfetched for how steeply Philippe Coutinho has declined in recent years. Yet, the numbers and the fact that he wasn't always horrible for Barcelona do help his case. The Brazilian signed from Liverpool for a gargantuan £142 million in January 2018 as the Catalans absolutely obliterated all sense of logic and reason while reinvesting the money they received for Neymar.
Coutinho began his Barcelona career decently, recording nine goals and seven assists in 22 matches during the second half of the 2017-18 season. However, the following season spelled doom for the attacker as he registered a meager return of 11 goals from 54 matches. The departure of Andres Iniesta and Ernesto Valverde's decision to deploy Coutinho as a left-winger flopped massively as the Brazilian looked out of sorts every time he took to the pitch.
He finds himself on the sidelines at the moment after suffering a serious long-term injury early on in the 2020-21 season.
#6 Nicolas Pepe | Arsenal
Nicolas Pepe was signed by Arsenal in 2019 for a club-record £72 million. It is fair to say he hasn't justified that fee so far, though there is hope for the future.
Pepe was particularly impressive for the Gunners in the Europa League last season, but has struggled so far in England. In 90 appearances for Arsenal, the Ivorian has 24 goals and 15 assists, which are average numbers at best. Pepe has shown signs of becoming the world-beater he was touted to be when he was in France, but injuries and consistency have often troubled him.
Still only 25, he still has every chance to develop into a world-class footballer. The 2021-22 season could be Pepe's best chance of regaining some consistent form after an improved individual campaign last time out.
#5 Lucas Hernandez | Bayern Munich
Lucas Hernandez remains one of the most talented defenders in European football at the moment. Capable of playing as a left-back and center-back, the Frenchman was crucial to the World Cup-winning France team of 2018.
Hernandez joined Bayern from Atletico Madrid for £72 million a year later, becoming the club's record signing. The 25-year-old has made just 62 appearances since then, scoring once and recording five assists. Hernandez has certainly not lived up to the money the Bavarians spent on him, but played an important role in their treble-winning 2019-20 campaign.
The Frenchman's trophy cabinet from his time with Bayern and the fact that he is still only 25 are what place him higher than many others on this list.
#4 Paul Pogba | Manchester United
Paul Pogba's time at Manchester United seems to be heading to an end every summer, but he's still there somehow.
The Frenchman returned for a club-record £89 million from Juventus in 2016 as a champion midfielder with the world at his feet. But Pogba has struggled to scale those peaks again and his consistency has been a constant source of worry for the Red Devils.
Yet there are days - like the recent win over Leeds or the 2018 comeback against Manchester City at the Etihad - where Pogba is unchallenged as the best player on the pitch. Much of the midfielder's time at United has seen him forced to do everything in midfield with little support. The arrival of Bruno Fernandes at Old Trafford has changed that, with Pogba looking more at home at the base of midfield and orchestrating some scintillating moves for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.
Pogba has 38 goals and 46 assists in 207 appearances for United, which is not bad at all given the variety of systems he's had to adapt to. But he only has a League Cup and Europa League to show for his efforts. Perhaps this could be the season where he adds to his trophy cabinet?
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo's time at Juventus has been debated over and over again in the last three years. Although the Portuguese legend has won two Serie A titles and has also scored 101 goals in 133 matches, his inability to win the UEFA Champions League is still held over his head.
Ronaldo signed for a club-record fee of around £105 million after winning three consecutive Champions League titles with Real Madrid. Heralded as the man to break the Bianconeri's UCL curse, the winger has struggled to live up to that billing. Yet, Ronaldo has largely been Juventus's go-to man in the league and has won every domestic title on offer in Italy.
Massimiliano Allegri's side haven't been helped by their recent transfer market activity or their backroom signings. But they have continued to challenge on all fronts and a major reason for that has been Ronaldo's final output in front of goal.
#2 Neymar Jr. | Paris Saint-Germain
Neymar's transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain triggered a number of big-money transfers in an inflated market that continues to go strong despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The £198 million man has been a joy to watch for PSG though injuries have often troubled him.
Regardless, Neymar has put up stellar numbers for the Parisians. In 116 matches for the club, he has scored 87 goals and an excellent 52 assists. Neymar has won multiple titles in his four years at the club, in addition to leading PSG to their first ever Champions League final.
Yet, there remains an aura of under-achievement in Neymar's case as it would be with any record signing. PSG have splashed exorbitant amounts of money on him, Kylian Mbappe and numerous others but still don't have a Champions League title to show for it. It is a constant reminder that Neymar has unfinished business in Paris, but perhaps the arrival of Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos this summer could finally end that jinx.
#1 Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool
There is little doubt about who tops this list. Virgil van Dijk has been synonymous with all of Liverpool's recent success and has quickly transformed into one of the best modern centre-backs in world football.
The Dutchman arrived at Anfield for around £75 million in January 2018. He was helpless during Liverpool's 3-1 reverse to Real Madrid in that year's Champions League final. But the loss seemed to spur on Van Dijk and Liverpool even more as they went on a phenomenal run to clinch the 2019 Champions League title. The centre-back was ever-present and a captain without the armband as he marshaled his troops excellently.
Van Dijk then proceeded to help Liverpool win the 2019-20 Premier League, ending a 30-year wait for the title. But a season-ending injury early on derailed his 2020-21 campaign. The Reds felt his absence as well as they stuttered to a third-place finish and failed to add to their trophy tally. With Van Dijk fit and firing again, Jurgen Klopp's men look set to compete on all fronts once again this season.
