Top 10 clubs that increased the overall value of their squad in the transfer market

3) Atletico Madrid: Increased by €497m

Atletico Madrid’s rise in the last four years has been remarkable

Expenditure: €199m

Value: €696m

Atletico Madrid did well to challenge the duopoly in the Spanish La Liga by winning the league title in 2013/14. For far too long, Real Madrid and Barcelona had reduced the league to a two-horse race with the rest of the pack simply fighting for pride and third place.

Diego Simeone deserves a lot of credit for the way the Rojiblancos upset the established order in Spain. However, he was still unlucky on the Champions League front, losing to arch rivals Real in the 2014 and 2016 finals. But it was his squad built on guts and massive cojones that now sees everyone talk about the big three in La Liga.

Among his prized assets is Antoine Griezmann, a player he signed for £25m, who is now valued at £68m. The Ballon d’Or finalist has done well for himself after making the step up from Real Sociedad and he is now one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe.

Other valuable players include midfielder Koke (£51m), defenders Diego Godin (£34m) and Jose Gimenez (£25,5m), Jan Oblak and Saul Niguez (both £29.8m) and highly rated winger Yannick Carrasco (£25.5m) – all players who were either products of the youth system or signed for transfer fees that are paltry compared to their current value.