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

FC Barcelona unveil new player, Antoine Griezmann

#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.