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#3 Kevin De Bruyne | Wolfsburg to Manchester City |
€76m
Kevin De Bruyne's purchase from Wolfsburg could possibly go down as the Cityzens' and possibly one of the Premier League's most influential transfers of all time. The mercurial Belgian is one of the best players in the world and has played an instrumental role in their success under Pep Guardiola, helping them win three Premier League titles in the last four campaigns.
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De Bruyne was shipped to the Bundesliga after an unsuccessful spell at Stamford Bridge. The midfielder established himself as one of the hottest properties in Europe, with a couple of brilliant seasons in the Bundesliga. He scored 23 and assisted 36 goals in 84 Bundesliga games before sealing a big-money move to City in 2015, and there was no looking back for him ever since.
He went on to become one of the central figures in one of the most star-studded squads in football and fired them to numerous honours, including a first-ever UEFA Champions League final. De Bruyne registered 41 goals and 78 assists in 179 Premier League appearances for City.
#2 Kai Havertz | Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Chelsea |
€80m
Kai Havertz's blockbuster move to Chelsea is the most recent addition to this list. The German superstar ended his ten-year stay at the BayArena in the summer of 2020 to join fellow Bundesliga export Timo Werner at Stamford Bridge. Much like Pulisic, Havertz is yet to fully adapt to life at Chelsea and nail down a starting berth for himself at Chelsea.
That being said, there is no denying that Havertz is one of the most unique top-tier talents in Europe. Capable of playing as an inside forward, false nine, out wide or even deeper in midfield, he provides his coaches with several options from a tactical viewpoint. Thomas Tuchel branded him a 'hybrid', a player with 'unlimited talent' whose jurisdiction lies between a pure number nine and number ten.
The 21-year-old came through the ranks at Leverkusen and was regarded as an exciting talent from very early on, and reached the 100-game mark quicker than anyone in Bundesliga history. Havertz registered 36 goals and 25 assists in his 118 German top-flight games before moving to Chelsea.
#1 Ousmane Dembele | Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona |
€135m
Borussia Dortmund have made more than their fair share of outrageous profits over the last decade or so, but their sale of Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona is a cut above the rest. BVB paid just €15m to sign the exciting young Frenchman from Stade Rennais in 2016, and he had an excellent campaign in Germany, scoring ten goals and setting up a further 22 in 50 games across all competitions.
Following Neymar's world record €222m sale to Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona were in the market for a new forward and earmarked Dembele as his replacement. Dortmund capitalised on the situation and dug in their heels during negotiations with the Blaugrana. The end result was Barcelona signing the then-20-year-old in a record-breaking €135m deal, making him their most expensive purchase ever.
This also saw Dembele become the most expensive export made in Bundesliga history, smashing the record held by De Bruyne's transfer to City. The move has been, so far, an ill-fated one as Dembele went on to miss a staggering 86 games via injury at the Nou Camp, translating to over 500 days on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Dembele's replacement and heir to BVB's number seven shirt, Jadon Sancho, is currently one of the hottest prospects in football and could be sold for upwards of €80m this summer. They bought the Englishman for roughly €8 in 2017. Borussia Dortmund are, simply put, one of the shrewdest clubs in the transfer market.
Also read: Top 5 goalscorers in La Liga this season (2020-21)
