Premier League: Decoding £50m-plus deals done by clubs this summer
What's the story
Premier League clubs set a new record for transfer spending, surpassing the £3 billion mark in a single window. The historic figure was capped by Alexander Isak's £125 million move from Newcastle United to Liverpool. As per Sky Sports News, the summer transfer window also saw a record amount of money recouped from player sales at £1.8 billion. Here we decode the £50m-plus deals done by Premier League clubs this summer.
Top spenders
Liverpool smash records with two £100m-plus deals
Liverpool led the spending spree with a reported record-breaking outlay. They landed Isak for £125m after getting things done on Deadline Day, September 1. Earlier, the Reds spent £116.5m on Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz. The deal was for £100m initial fee plus £16m in potential add-ons. Liverpool also signed striker Hugo Ekitike from Frankfurt for £79m. The fee was worth £69m guaranteed and another £10m in add-ons.
Arsenal
Arsenal spend £50m-plus on four players
Arsenal shelled out a whopping £51m to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. They also spent £52m for winger Noni Madueke, who left Chelsea. They got striker Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting for a massive £63.5m. The deal was worth a guaranteed fee of £55 million, with an additional £8.5 million in add-ons. Arsenal capped off their high spending by landing Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze for a staggering £67.5m.
MUFC
Manchester United sign Sesko, Mbeumo and Cunha for massive sums
Manchester United signed Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig in a deal worth £73.7 million. The 22-year-old has signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford, with an initial fee of £66.26m and performance-related add-ons worth £7.36m. Before that, they landed Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo. The deal between clubs was struck at £65m guaranteed + up to £6m in add-ons. Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha joined Manchester United in a deal worth £62.5 million after the player's release clause was activated.
NUFC
Newcastle United sign three players for £50m-plus
Newcastle United spent heavily on winger Anthony Elanga, who joined from Nottingham Forest for £55m. The deal included a base fee of £52 million with an additional £3 million in performance-related add-ons. The Magpies, who were in much need of signing strikers, got hold of Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade in a club-record deal worth £69 million. The transfer included an initial fee of £64.86 million and potential add-ons worth up to £4.3 million. Lastly, they spent £55m for Brentford's Yoane Wissa.
CHE
Chelsea land Gittens and Pedro for massive sums
Chelsea bought several players to bolster their squad. However, they also sold heavily this summer and extracted big fees. The Blues spent heavily on Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens, getting him for a fee worth £51.5m. 20-year-old Gittens moved for an initial fee of £48m plus £3.5m in add-ons. Brighton's Joao Pedro was also roped in for a massive £60m. The 23-year-old signed an eight-year deal and made his debut at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Spurs
Tottenham land Kudus and Simons for £50m-plus
Tottenham signed West Ham's Mohammed Kudus for £55m. Kudus, who had also attracted interest from Chelsea and Newcastle, joined Spurs on a six-year deal. Spurs also completed the signing of Chelsea target Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig in a deal worth £51m. The 22-year-old had was linked with a move to Chelsea all summer, but Spurs swiftly moved ahead of their London rivals and hijacked the deal.