| Updated: Even with the World Cup dominating football’s attention, Europe’s biggest clubs have continued to reshape their squads for the 2026/27 season. Some deals have already been completed before the tournament’s final stages, while others reflect clubs moving early rather than waiting for the market to become even more crowded later in the summer.
SportingPedia analysed the most expensive transfers completed so far in the 2026 summer window. The ranking includes 15 deals worth more than €40 million, with Premier League clubs heavily involved both as buyers and sellers.
Elliot Anderson leads the list after joining Manchester City from Nottingham Forest for €135 million. He is followed by Sandro Tonali, who moved from Newcastle to Tottenham for €108 million, while Mateus Fernandes ranks third after his €99 million transfer from West Ham to Tottenham. Those three deals alone are worth €342 million.
The Most Expensive Transfers of the 2026 Summer Window
Data Source: Transfermarkt
Anderson’s move to Manchester City is the clear headline deal of the summer so far. At €135 million, his transfer fee is €27 million higher than Tonali’s move to Tottenham and €36 million above Fernandes’ switch from West Ham.
The top three also show how strongly Premier League clubs are shaping the market. Anderson moved between two English clubs, while Tottenham signed both Tonali and Fernandes from Premier League sides. That means the three biggest deals all involved Premier League clubs on both sides of the transaction.
Tonali’s €108 million transfer is the second-largest deal in the ranking and the only other move above €100 million. Fernandes sits just below that threshold at €99 million, giving Tottenham two of the three most expensive signings.
Tottenham Are the Most Active Buyers Near the Top
Tottenham have the strongest buying presence in the upper part of the ranking. Their three signings – Tonali, Fernandes and Van Hecke – are worth a combined €267 million, and all three appear inside the top seven.
That makes Tottenham the only club with three incoming players in the ranking. Manchester City have the single most expensive signing through Anderson, but Tottenham’s activity is broader, with major fees paid to improve the midfield and defence.
Chelsea and Bayern Munich are the only other clubs with multiple incoming players. Chelsea signed Marco Palestra from Atalanta for €57 million and Geovany Quenda from Sporting for €50 million. Bayern added Ismael Saibari from PSV and Nathaniel Brown from Eintracht Frankfurt, both for €50 million.
Premier League Clubs Dominate the Market
Premier League clubs are the most active buyers and sellers among the summer’s biggest transfers. They appear as buying teams in nine of the 15 deals, spending a combined €678.9 million, and as selling teams in eight deals, bringing in €637.3 million. No other league comes close on either side of the market.
The Premier League’s influence is even clearer at the very top of the ranking. The three most expensive transfers of the summer were all Premier League-to-Premier League deals: Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City, Sandro Tonali from Newcastle to Tottenham, and Mateus Fernandes from West Ham to Tottenham. Together, those three moves were worth €342 million.
Overall, five of the 15 biggest transfers were between Premier League clubs. Alongside the top three, Jan Paul van Hecke’s €60 million move from Brighton to Tottenham and Andrey Santos’ €56.3 million move from Chelsea to Manchester United also made the list. Those five deals were worth a combined €458.3 million, accounting for more than 44% of the total value of the top 15 transfers.
La Liga clubs are the second-biggest buyers by value, with Barcelona and Real Madrid spending a combined €135 million on Anthony Gordon and Marc Cucurella. Serie A clubs follow with €118 million across two deals, as Milan signed Gonçalo Ramos from PSG and Napoli brought in Rasmus Højlund from Manchester United.
The Bundesliga shows a more balanced role. Bayern Munich spent €100 million on Ismael Saibari and Nathaniel Brown, while German clubs also sold two players in the ranking for the same combined amount, with Eintracht Frankfurt and Hoffenheim each receiving €50 million. Ligue 1 clubs appear only on the selling side, with PSG and Rennes bringing in €137.6 million from the departures of Gonçalo Ramos and Jérémy Jacquet.
Only three of the 15 biggest transfers did not involve a Premier League club on either side: Gonçalo Ramos from PSG to Milan, Ismael Saibari from PSV to Bayern Munich, and Nathaniel Brown from Eintracht Frankfurt to Bayern Munich.