La Liga 2018-19: 7 clubs that broke their transfer record this summer

La Liga is one of the best leagues in the world, which has had its fair share of fun and drama. Over the years, we have seen a montage of world-class goals and nail-biting matches take place in the Spanish top division. La Liga clubs like FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have always been at the summit of European football, winning an astounding number of trophies between each other. We have also witnessed, in the Spanish league, arguably the biggest individual rivalry in 'Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo' unfold through one of world football's biggest fixtures, El Clasico.

In this summer transfer window, we have seen quite a number of La Liga clubs smashing their club transfer record. These Spanish clubs have invested some significant money from their treasure chests to compete better. They have brought in some great players to help them survive against the best of clubs. Now let us take a look at the clubs that broke their club transfer record this summer.

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#7 SD Huesca (Dani Escriche, 0.5 mil euros)

Daniel Escriche Romero, born on 24 March 1998, is a young Spanish footballer. His debut came in 2016, playing for Castellon. The 20-year-old has played for three clubs till now, namely, Castellon, Lugo, and Polvorin. Last season, he played 36 matches for Polvorín, scoring 13 goals.

Escriche was brought in by SD Huesca for half million euros this summer, breaking the club's record fee of 0.4 mil euros paid for Alex Galler, who joined from Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa.

#6 Rayo Vallecano (Gael Kakuta, 3 mil euros)

Gael Kakuta is a 27-year-old DR Congo international, who plays as a left winger. He started his senior career in Chelsea in 2009 and played only six matches for them until his departure in 2015 to Sevilla. For Sevilla, he played for only one season and then joined Hebei China Fortune, who sent him on a number of loan spells themselves.

Kakuta has now been signed by Rayo Vallecano for 3 mil euros. This is his second stint in Rayo Vallecano after his one year loan at the club in the 2014-15 season. He is an experienced contender with 199 appearances in his club career and finally, at Rayo, he has a good chance to prove his worth.

Jose Pozo from UD Almeria was Rayo's previous highest transfer, which included a sum of 1.3 million euros.

#5 Deportivo Alaves (John Guidetti, 4 mil euros)

John Guidetti is a 26-year-old Swedish striker, who causes menace whenever given the right aerial supply, thanks to the fact he stands at an impressive 6 feet 1 inch. On the international level, he recently represented Sweden in 2018 World Cup in Russia.

He was bought by Manchester City in 2008 but did not play a single game for them. Later on, he was loaned out to five different teams. While on loan, he played for teams like Burnley, Stoke City, and Celtic. After his contract expired with Man City, he was bought by Celta Vigo.

The Swede made his loan switch to Alaves permanent this year after they paid a sum of 4 million euros to Sevilla for his services. He has been given the number 10 jersey by his new club and is expected to become their star player. For a striker, who has hit the net 60 times in his club career, this should not be a big issue.

The previous highest transfer for Deportivo was paid when Daniel Torres was bought for 3.18 million euros from Independiente Medellín.

#4 Girona FC (Johan Mojica, 4.5 mil euros)

Johan Mojica is a 25-year-old versatile player, who can play as a left-back or a left-winger. He was there in the 2018 World Cup squad of Colombia and has played eight matches for his country till now.

The Colombian was sent on loan to Girona by Rayo Vallecano last season, where he played 40 matches. Apart from Rayo and Girona, he has also played for clubs like Academia and Llaneros. Mojica has played more than 150 matches in his senior career, which shows he is a player with good amount of experience under his belt.

Johan Mojica joined Girona this summer for 4.5 mil euros. Girona's most expensive buy before this was Marc Muniesa, who cost them 4.5 million euros, from Stoke City.

#3 RCD Espanyol (Borja Iglesias, 10 mil euros)

Borja Iglesias is a talented striker, who stands at an imposing 6 feet 2 inches. He has represented teams like Villarreal, Real Zaragoza, and Celta Vigo in his career. The Spaniard has scored 93 goals in 176 appearances in his club career and is a proven finisher of the ball.

Espanyol bagged Iglesias from Celta for a sum of 10 mil euros on a four-year contract. He is a player, who has been brought to fill in the void left by Moreno's departure to Villarreal earlier this summer.

Iglesias's transfer broke the record held by Sergi Darder's move from Olympique Lyon for 8 million euros.

#2 Villarreal FC (Gerard Moreno, 20 mil euros)

Gerard Moreno is a 26-year-old striker, who started his footballing career in Villarreal itself, coming through the ranks, before being sold to Espanyol in 2015. Moreno has earned about a dozen over 200 appearances in his club career in which he has scored 71 goals.

After Villarreal sold him for close to 2 mil euros in 2015, he was bought back this summer, for 20 mil, due to his remarkable performances in the 2017-18 season. He is not expected to take much time to adjust to his new surroundings since this is, in fact, his boyhood club where he began his senior career.

The Yellow Submarine's last record signing was Karl Toko Ekambi from SCO Angers, which cost them 18 mil euros.

#1 Atletico Madrid (Thomas Lemar, 70 mil euros)

Thomas Lemar is a 22-year-old midfielder, who mainly plays on either wing and is known for his great passing ability. He was in the World Cup winning squad of France this year and might now be one of the star players for Atletico Madrid this season.

Lemar has played for two other clubs before, which are Caen and, most recently, AS Monaco. He has more than 150 appearances in his club career despite his young age, which accentuates his status as a future legend.

Atletico Madrid signed the Frenchman for 70 million euros from Monaco earlier this summer. The presence of his France teammate Antoine Griezmann should ease his adaptation at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Atletico Madrid's previous record transfer was only achieved last season when they signed Diego Costa back from Chelsea for 66 mil euros.