The most expensive transfers across the top 5 European football leagues (July 2019)

The dust has long settled on the 2018-19 season, and our favorite clubs are once again bracing up for resumption on hostilities.

It's the summer transfer window of 2019 (a period some aptly term 'silly season' for obvious reasons), and the cheque books are out, the rumor mill is in full swing, insane figures are being quoted, club presidents/chairmen are haggling for dear life, and football agents are frothing at the mouth (looking at you, Mino Raiola).

Amidst the ongoing Paul Pogba, Matthijs de Ligt, Neymar, Harry Maguire, etc, soap-opera-like transfer stories flying over our heads, several major deals have been made, and players, as well as clubs, have completed their dream moves.

In this article, we run down a list of the biggest transfers which have taken place so far in the top five European powerhouses of the Spanish LaLiga, the English Premier League, the German Bundesliga, the Italian Serie A, and France's Ligue 1.

#1 Premier League

Manchester City: Rodri (Midfielder - £62.8 million)

The 23-year-old Rodrigo Hernandez was brought in as a replacement for the aging Fernandinho (34). He was also a transfer target of Bavarian giants, Bayern Munich, who were willing to pay his release clause (€70 million), but according to the player, Man City was his preferred destination, and working with Pep Guardiola was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

“This is one of the greatest teams around at the moment. I would say City are in the top two or three in the world, so from the moment I heard City were interested there was no doubt in my mind. For me it is a great step, not just because of the team but because of Pep Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain.

“I am still very young and I know I have a lot to the learn, but players who have played for Pep told me this would be the best place to further my career. Sergio Busquets, a player I have always admired, told me that Pep Guardiola would not only improve my game, he would not stop trying to improve it.”

The midfielder who has been compared to veteran Barca midfielder, Sergio Busquets, was a key player for Diego Simeone's team last season with 47 games, 3 goals, and 1 assist.

Tottenham Hotspur: Tanguy Ndombele (Midfielder - £55 million plus add ons)

Tottenham Hotspur had to smash their transfer record to land Mauricio Pochettino's #1 transfer target. The highly-rated 22-year-old is an exciting cocktail of impressive dribbling, raw power, and skill.

In 96 games for Lyon, he had 4 goals and 16 assists. He replaces Mousa Dembele at the heart of Spurs' midfield.

Manchester United: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Defender - £45 million plus add ons)

Wan-Bissaka during Man Utd's pre-season tour

After seemingly endless transfer negotiations, Man Utd finally landed their man. The club is looking to return to the summit of English football, and the young fullback is just one piece of the puzzle.

Wan-Bissaka is largely a new kid on the block, with no senior England cap, and having only just completed his first full season as a pro footballer at senior level last term. However, he does come with some impressive stats. He was named Crystal Palace's player of the season last time out and made more tackles than any other defender in Europe's top 5 leagues.

#2 Bundesliga

Bayern Munich: Lucas Hernandez (Defender - £68 million)

A dismal Champions League campaign last term was all that was needed to convince the Bayern boardroom to refresh the squad. The Bavarian giants went all out to secure the services of the 23-year-old World Cup-winning defender, smashing their transfer record in the process.

The Bundesliga's record signing required surgery on his right knee after a medical revealed ligament damage. The surgery was successful and he is expected to be fighting fit for the upcoming campaign.

Borussia Dortmund: Mats Hummels (Defender - £34 million)

We all love a happy reunion, don't we?

Mats Hummels returns to the club he made his name, after a largely successful spell at Bayern Munich. Interestingly, this will be the second time the 30-year-old will make the switch from Bayern to BVB, having made the switch much earlier in his career as well. He came up through the Bayern youth system.

He played 110 times for Bayern, scored 8 times, and notched 9 assists. Under Niko Kovac last season, Hummels lost his place in the first XI a few times.

#3 Ligue One

Lyon: Thiago Mendes (Midfielder - £22.4 million)

Olympique Lyonnais has wasted no time in filling the void left by the departure of Tanguy Ndombele to Spurs. The 27-year-old joined Lyon on the heels of fellow countryman, Jean Lucas, and Romanian goalie, Ciprian Tatarusanu.

Mendes made 36 appearances and notched 4 assists for Lille last time out, as they finished in 2nd place, just a spot above his new club, Lyon, on the standings.

Lyon: Joachim Anderson (Defender - £21.5 million plus add ons)

The youngster was linked to a host of European clubs, including Arsenal. However, the 23-year-old has opted to join Lyon in a deal that could see the club's transfer record broken.

The French outfit agreed to fork out an initial €24 million to Sampdoria, with a further €6 million agreed in performance-related bonuses. That would eclipse the €26.5 million paid for Thiago Mendes.

Andersen is the sixth signing Lyon have made so far this summer, following the arrival of club legend Juninho Pernambucano as sporting director. Juninho had this to say about the player,

“Andersen is a fantastic player, he has great tactical and technical skills, which will help us a lot.”

#4 Serie A

Napoli: Kostas Manolas (Defender - £32.2 million)

The highly-rated 28-year-old established himself with over 200 appearances in the Italian capital for AS Roma. With his athleticism, aerial ability, and power, he stands out as one of the best defenders in the Italian Serie A.

He will forever be idolized by the Roma faithful for his role in the epic 2018 UCL comeback against FC Barcelona.

He joins Kalidou Koulibaly at the heart of the Napoli defence, forming one of the most formidable defensive partnerships in the footballing world.

#5 La Liga

Atletico Madrid: Joao Felix (Striker - £113 million)

From all indications, Atletico Madrid has a knack for signing attacking gems. They'll be hoping their latest acquisition follows in the footsteps of Fernando Torres, Kun Aguero, Radamel Falcao, and Antoine Griezmann.

The 19-year-old who was reportedly courted by the biggest clubs in Europe, finally, put pen to paper on a mammoth 7 year deal with Atleti. The highly-rated teen is expected to fill the void left by Antoine Griezmann.

He made his first-team debut for Benfica last term, scoring 15 goals in 21 starts. Joao Felix has become the 4th most expensive football transfer of all time, as well as Atletico's most expensive recruit.

Barcelona: Antoine Griezmann (Striker - £107.6 million)

The long-running transfer saga that is Antoine Griezmann to Barca finally reached an epic conclusion with the 28-year-old finally jumping ship.

The Frenchman put pen to paper on a 5-year deal that will see him at the Catalan club till summer 2024. However, there is a new twist in the tale.

Atletico Madrid claims Barca still owe them a whopping €80 million, insisting that Griezmann and the Catalan giants had a deal in place before July 2019, when the clause was still set at €200 million. In a statement the club said,

“Atlético de Madrid believes that the amount deposited is insufficient to meet its rescission clause, since it is obvious that the commitment of the player and that of Football Club Barcelona was closed before the aforementioned clause was reduced from €200m to €120m [on 1 July],”

“It was also prior to the date on which the clause was modified the communication that the player made on 14 May announcing his disengagement from the club.”

However, the Spanish champions claim they only started negotiating with the French star on July 4.

Grab your popcorns, this could get very interesting.

Real Madrid: Eden Hazard (Winger - £88.5 million)

Real Madrid unveil new signing, Eden Hazard

After months of openly flirting with the Spanish giants, Eden Hazard finally sealed his dream move to Real Madrid. The Belgian joins the capital club after a very successful spell at Chelsea, where he inspired them to 2 Premier League titles, a League Cup, an FA Cup, and 2 Europa League titles.

Real Madrid is undergoing a massive rebuild, and Hazard joins on the heels of Rodrygo, Eder Militao, and Luka Jovic. The Belgian will also link up with Real Madrid legend, Zinedine Zidane, who shares a mutual admiration for Hazard.

Eden Hazard will wear the 23 shirt made famous by NBA legend, Michael Jordan, as well as David Beckham at the Spanish capital club.

Edited by Zaid Khan