It was a summer of gluttony across the footballing world, as the Premier League’s financial might came to the fore once again.
Clubs from the English top-flight were responsible for much of the damage, as they committed to over £3 billion ($4 billion) in transfer fees.
While the rest of Europe’s big boys meekly meandered their way through the window, peering enviously across the English Channel, the Premier League’s greed knew no bounds. Much of the business was conducted within the division, but some of the Bundesliga‘s best were also prised away from Germany’s grasp.
History would suggest that big fees doesn’t equate to success, and many of the shrewdest moves of the 2025 window will doubtless be those that made few headlines. But there’s no denying that the ten most expensive will be under the most scrutiny as 2025–26 plays out.
The 10 Most Expensive Transfers This Summer
10. Matheus Cunha – Wolves to Man Utd
Base fee: £62.5 million
Potential add-ons: N/A
Total fee: £62.5 million
Cunha was the first star through the door in Manchester this summer, with United keen to improve their historically poor attack by signing the Premier League’s two sharpest finishers last season in Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
It’s hard to suggest that one will be better than the other at the Theatre of Dreams, but the maverick Brazilian is cut from the same cloth as previous Man Utd greats, and he’ll undoubtedly emerge as a favourite of the Old Trafford faithful.
There have been early bumps; missing in the penalty shootout defeat to Grimsby Town and going off injured against Burnley, for example, but Cunha has otherwise made a quick early impression. He’s a footballer, despite some of his antics, you can easily get behind.
9. Victor Osimhen – Napoli to Galatasaray
Base fee: £64.8 million
Potential add-ons: N/A
Total fee: £64.8 million
In one of the least stunning stories of 2024–25, former Capocannoniere winner Victor Osimhen dominated the Turkish Süper Lig during the prime of his career.
The Nigerian international helped Galatasaray regain their league title last term, and has since joined the club on a permanent basis in a deal worth just shy of £65 million.
Osimhen will continue to dominate and likely help his side perpetuate their domestic supremacy, but will the striker help Okan Buruk’s side compete more fiercely in Europe?
Galatasaray are back in the Champions League, and Osimhen will justify his hefty price tag and monster salary if he’s able to inspire Gala into the knockout stages of the competition.
8. Luis Diaz – Liverpool to Bayern Munich
Base fee: £60 million
Potential add-ons: £5.5 million
Total fee: £65.5 million
Bayern Munich weren’t haunted by the last time they dipped their toe in the Scouse well, and identified Liverpool’s Luis Díaz as their major addition of the summer window.
Sadio Mané endured a forgettable stint in Bavaria, but there’s hope the relentless Colombian will enjoy a more fruitful Bundesliga career.
The absence of more signings late in the window means Bayern are going to lean on Díaz heavily this season, but the winger should thrive given his supporting cast.
The likes of Michael Olise and Harry Kane will attract plenty of attention, and Díaz boasts the profile to maximise what German football offers him. It’s a division he seems well-suited to, and the fee Bayern paid represents fair market value for the Colombian’s body of work on Merseyside.
7. Eberechi Eze - Crystal Palace to Arsenal
Base fee: £60 million
Potential add-ons: £7.5 million
Total fee: £67.5 million
Viktor Gyökeres was the "missing piece", according to many, but when Eberechi Eze came along, finally reuniting with the club that released him almost 15 years ago, the Englishman became the "final piece of the puzzle".
Overlooking a striker in the market would’ve been a big risk, but forgetting to supply Mikel Arteta’s framework with more creative juice this summer may well have proven to be the collapse of the Spaniard’s project.
Eze is a proven Premier League star with an emotional connection to the Gunners, and he will supply the title hopefuls with another dimension in attack. However, Arsenal’s issues down the left flank mean the Englishman may be taken away from his preferred central areas this term.
Still, it’s an excellent signing that could help Arteta’s Arsenal make the final leap.
6. Bryan Mbuemo - Brentford to Manchester United
Base fee: £65 million
Potential add-ons: £6 million
Total fee: £71 million
Mbeumo should have a discernible impact in Manchester after he enjoyed a career year in west London last term.
The Cameroonian international is a mightily efficient forward of the Mohamed Salah mould; a winger capable of extracting juice from stone. He’s exceptional in transition and a pinpoint finisher who’s one of the few players who suits Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1.
After weeks of frustrating negotiations which threatened to prevent the deal from happening, Man Utd eventually caved to Brentford’s lofty demands, and could end up paying north of £70 million when all said and done.
5. Nick Woltemade – VfB Stuttgart to Newcastle
Base fee: £64.6 million
Potential add-ons: £4.4 million
Total fee: £69 million
There’s lots to like about Woltemade, who’s a walking contradiction. Despite his gangly 6’6 frame, the German striker boasts ballerina feet and is far from a dominant physical force.
Woltemade broke out at Stuttgart last season and was the standout performer for Germany at the U21 European Championships earlier this summer. He looked set to join Bayern Munich, but a deal never materialised and Newcastle overcame a multitude of rejections to plot an ambitious move.
The Magpies struck with efficient stealth, and Woltemade will work in harmony with Yoane Wissa to fill a sizeable void. The young German is a great facilitator who should fit Eddie Howe’s system well, but the fee is pretty mammoth and expectations are grand.
4. Benjamin Sesko – RB Leipzig to Manchester United
Base fee: £66.2 million
Potential add-ons: £7.3 million
Total fee: £73.5 million
Manchester United parted ways with a raw, unproven young striker with plenty to learn and replaced him with a raw, unproven young striker with plenty to learn.
The Red Devils made a concerted effort to rejuvenate their frontline at the start of the summer window, and later made a move for RB Leipzig striker Šeško, but fatally failed to bolster Ruben Amorim’s engine room.
22-year-old Šeško is a fearsome ball-striker with standout athletic traits, but his work in the Bundesliga space-haven pointed towards a talent who’s far from the finished article.
Perhaps he’ll come good, but Man Utd have once again committed a huge fee to a potentially excellent striker.
3. Hugo Ekitiké – Eintracht Frankfurt to Liverpool
Base fee: £69 million
Potential add-ons: £10 million
Total fee: £79 million
Few have made a bigger impact at the start of their Premier League careers this season than Hugo Ekitiké, who scored in Liverpool’s opening two games against Bournemouth and Newcastle United.
The Frenchman is a slick, fluid operator who can do it all. He’s a proficient combiner who‘s equally effective at running the channels and darting in behind defences.
In isolation, his signing is one of the best of the summer window, but you do wonder how he’ll interact with Liverpool’s shiniest new toy up top.
2. Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool
Base fee: £100 million
Potential add-ons: £16.5 million
Total fee: £116.5 million
It’s been a mixed start to life at Anfield for Wirtz, who was the first record-breaking arrival of Liverpool’s unprecedented summer.
The German playmaker has been the star of the Bundesliga for the past couple of years and is well worthy of his hefty price tag. However, there will be a need for Wirtz to acclimatise to the rigours of the Premier League.
He struggled during his first two-and-a-half outings of the season, but impressed as the early title showdown with Arsenal wore on. Good things will happen if you get Wirtz functioning from the left half-space, and Slot’s second half tweaks against the Gunners helped get the best out of the German superstar.
Wirtz has far too much going for him not to be a major success on Merseyside.
1. Alexander Isak – Newcastle to Liverpool
Base fee: £125 million
Potential add-ons: N/A
Total fee: £125 million
Sure, Liverpool have made Alexander Isak the third-most expensive footballer ever, but you can‘t put a price on elite Premier League goalscorers.
Isak was the division’s second-leading scorer last term and, for some people’s money, cosplayed as the best striker in Europe. The Swede is a devastating finisher with balletic footwork and supreme agility: the archetypal modern-day centre-forward.
Liverpool haven’t merely signed a relentless scorer of goals, but a striker who’s ever-evolving as a creator, and will benefit from the might of talent in close proximity on Merseyside.
The Reds are going for the jugular in 2025–26 and beyond, but Slot has a balancing act to perform if they’re to improve despite the addition of superstar power.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The 10 Most Expensive Transfers of the 2025 Summer Window.